This compilation of works highlights the historical, economic, and human dynamics behind youth offending in the nations of the West Indies. Youth Crime and Violence in the Caribbean offers insights into the slow rate of system change yet leaves readers with an optimistic picture of possibilities. Recent events in Haiti and neighboring Venezuela demonstrate how quickly dynamics in the Caribbean area can shift if crime is not addressed and people increasingly disengage from systems in a manner that allows despots to rise to power. When this happens, the impacts are not localized.
Sherill V. C. Morris-Francis is associate professor and graduate coordinator in the Department of Criminal Justice at Mississippi Valley State University. Camille A. Gibson is interim dean of the College of Juvenile Justice at Prairie View A&M University and executive director of the Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention Center. Lorna E. Grant is professor and director of the MS Criminal Justice Program in the Department of Criminal Justice at North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina.
"Written and edited by three esteemed criminologists, Youth Crime and Violence in the Caribbean provides a rare glimpse into the ongoing crisis of youth violence within Caribbean islands. Through fifteen culturally enriched chapters, manifestations of violence (in families, schools, and gangs) will ground readers in its reality and demonstrate its impacts on Jamaica, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad and Tobago, among other island nations. While the cultures, languages, dialects, and religions differ, each author provides unique insights that inform a deeper theoretical understanding of violence among youth. As seen through the lens of mostly scholars of Caribbean descent, Youth Crime and Violence in the Caribbean is replete with policy recommendations and a clarion call to 'save the children' that is hard to ignore." --Lee E. Ross, University of Central Florida, author of Domestic Violence and Criminal Justice "Youth Crime and Violence in the Caribbean is an important addition to the scholarship in this area. This work pulls together existing research on the issues that matter the most to Caribbean people and, in doing so, sheds light on the gaps in the extant literature. The strength of this book is the breadth of the discussion centering experiences from a vast range of Caribbean islands. The book is an excellent primer for anyone interested in getting on top of the nuanced issues surrounding youth and their involvement in crime." --Keron King, The College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago
