The Role of the State in a High Crime Community in Trinidad and Tobago

• In Event: Fear of Crime in an International Context I

Abstract

In 2012 the murder rate in Trinidad and Tobago was 37.9 per 100,000 (United States Department of State, 2013), down from its record high of 42 per 100,000 in 2008 (Nicolas, 2009). At its peak, Trinidad and Tobago ranked among the top ‘murderous’ nations in the world (Katz and Fox, 2010). Although citizens regarded crime and violence as major problems impacting the nation (Kochel, 2009; Mastrofski & Lum, 2008; McCree, 1998), they were generally unwilling to report witnessed violence due to their mistrust of police officers (Mastrofski and Lum, 2008; Katz, Maguire, Choate, 2011) and the trend of witnesses being killed (Adams, 2012). Traditionally, states or governments are tasked with maintaining order, maintaining communications infrastructures, and economic redistribution (Mann, 1984). In a developing nation characterized by high crime, fulfilling these responsibilities can prove to be difficult. Using 30 semi-structured interviews conducted with members of a high crime community in Northern Trinidad, this paper analyzes the role of the state in decreasing and perpetuating crime through order maintenance and economic redistribution. Policy implications pertaining to crime reduction strategies will be offered.

Author

• Ericka Briana Adams, North Central College