Issues of Society that are evident in the Parish of St. Ann
What
is a social issue? A social issue is one that impacts a large number of
individuals in a society. It is a collection of current-day societal issues
that many individuals are working to resolve. These social issues will also
affect the quality of life (Wikipedia contributors, 2022). In a society, there
will be good and bad meaning in the form of issues that a society will face or
is already facing. Sometimes these issues are present to see how we as a
society can help to combat or prevent them. Will society work together to
overcome these issues? I have been living in the parish of St. Ann for over 15
years now. Walking the streets of St. Ann, observing, and interacting with
individuals, I have discovered these issues that are evident in St. Ann namely
Poverty, Homelessness, and Crime.
What is Poverty? Poverty is a situation or circumstance in which a person or a community lacks the financial means and necessities for a basic level of living. Poverty has always been a society issue in every society there is. According to a poverty statistic in Jamaica, 11 parishes have shown an increase in poverty. However, in St. Ann, poverty has grown from little more than 15% to 19.7% (Tufton, 2005). Walking down the street of St. Ann, I have seen a lot of individuals in poverty. According to Earl Jarrett, the chief executive officer of the Jamaica National Group, stated that St. Ann is regarded as one of the poorest parishes in Jamaica (Jarrett, 2017). The parish has the highest level of poverty, with over $47,000 in poverty per individual per year (Tufton, 2005). Data also revealed that over 30 percent of the individuals living in St. Ann are living in poverty, and the main cause of this social issue is the decline in agriculture in the parish. It is confirmed that 73.2 percent of the population, or 180,000 people, live in rural areas of the parish where agriculture is the main source of employment. With an increase in poverty, individuals are most likely to migrate to Kingston or overseas to provide for their families (Jarrett, 2017). How is there an increase in poverty when St. Ann is a tourist attraction? To combat or reduce this social issue of poverty, there has been an organization that was established, which is the Poor Relief Department. This organization is present in society and has the goal of relieving poverty. This organization provides some form of assistance for individuals that are in poverty (St Ann Municipal Corporation, n.d.).
Homelessness
What
is it like to be homeless? Could you imagine being homeless experiencing all those
traumas. Individuals who are homeless live in constant fear, wondering if they
will live to see another day. What is homelessness? is the lack of permanent,
safe, and appropriate housing (Wikipedia contributors, 2022). Over 2,000
homeless people seek refuge on our streets, as described by the Ministry of
Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) (The Jamaica Information Service,
2021). Walking the streets of St. Ann’s Bay, I have seen a lot of homeless
people whose houses are cardboard boxes. They are not necessarily mentally ill
people, but they end up on the streets because they lose their houses,
employment, many families have thrown them out for various reasons such as
sexual orientation, sickness etc. Over the Easter weekend in 2021, Councilor
Sydney Stewart, Mayor of St. Ann's Bay, led a team around key cities in St. Ann
to give food to the homeless during the curfew period. This effort was started
to feed homeless people during the Easter holiday (Jamaica Information Service,
2021).
With
the increase of homeless people in St. Ann, the government has established
these programs to help those individuals, and those programs are:
- Drop-In Centers
- Night Shelters
- Special feeding program.
- Rental Assistance
- Transitional Facilities
The
video that is attached below is a video based on the level of homelessness in
St. Ann where homeless persons gave an account of what caused their
homelessness and issues they may face. (Television Jamaica, 2021).
Video by: Television Jamaica- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDGeAaHmC-E&t=1s
Crime
Crime is a never-ending pandemic that every society faces. According to Emile Durkheim, a sociologist, according to Durkheim, crime is a natural and unavoidable part of social existence. He pointed out that crime is unavoidable in all civilizations, and that the rate of crime in more sophisticated, industrial countries was actually higher. Crime has a positive impact on social cohesion, social transformation, and social regulation (Revised Sociology, 2016). Throughout the number of years there have been reports of criminal activity in this parish many we hear on the news even in the gleaner there are numerous reports of crime in the parish but in recent times crime has reduced in the parish. According to the Jamaica Information Service, the St. Ann Police Division reported an eight percent decrease in significant offenses last year when compared to 2002.Overall, 366 big crimes were recorded in 2003, with 192 (52%) cleared up, according to Deputy Superintendent W. R. Gayle, who is in charge of the parish. In the previous year, 396 serious crimes were reported, with 187 (47%) cleared up. While murder and rape had increased by 4% and 5%, respectively, shooting, carnal abuse, robbery, break-in, and theft had decreased by 1%, 10%, 19%, 26%, and 3% (Jamaica Information Service, n.d.). In 2021, there were 55 homicides in St. Ann, compared to 70 the year before. Domestic violence is the leading cause of homicides, which the police sought to prevent last year. According to police, citizens should seek alternatives to resorting to violence as a means of resolving issues. What has the Jamaica Constabulary Force done to reduce the crime rate in St. Ann? The members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force has been engaged in community policing, interacting with the public and building a bond with the public that has aided with solving crimes in the parish (AKERA DAVIS, 2022) However there are still crimes happening in St. Ann in the present day so the crime rate is increasing in the parish of St. Ann.
In
the videos below these videos are displaying the level of crime in the parish
of St. Ann.
video by: CVM Television- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTKrLR0pNfM
References
AKERA DAVIS. (2022, January 23). St Ann top cop aims for less murders in 2022. Jamaica Observer -. https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/st-ann-top-cop-aims-for-less-murders-in-2022/
Jamaica Information Service. (n.d.). Reduction in Major Crimes In St. Ann. Jamaica Information Service - The Voice of Jamaica. https://jis.gov.jm/reduction-in-major-crimes-in-st-ann/?msclkid=b81bf823c17f11ec84a129fe65779b2c
Jamaica Information Service. (2021, April 1). Meals For The Homeless In St. Ann – Jamaica Information Service. Jamaica Information Service - The Voice of Jamaica. https://jis.gov.jm/meals-for-the-homeless-in-st-ann/?msclkid=0ded5670c17911ec9642d51f55b065fd
Jarrett, E. (2017, February 28). St Ann can do better. News | Jamaica Gleaner. https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20170228/st-ann-can-do-better-earl-jarrett#:%7E:text=%22The%20data%20say%20that%20over,a%20major%20source%20of%20employment.
Revisesociology. (2016, April 3). The Functionalist Perspective on Crime and Deviance. Revisesociology.Com. https://revisesociology.com/2016/04/03/functionalist-explanations-of-deviance/#:%7E:text=Crime%20is%20Inevitable%20Durkheim%20argued%20that%20crime%20is,in%20fact%20higher%20in%20more%20advanced%2C%20industrial%20societies.?msclkid=913a681ec17e11ec8aebab8100a55b0b
St Ann Municipal Corporation. (n.d.). Poor Relief Department. https://stannmc.gov.jm/administration/poor-relief-department-0
Television Jamaica. (2021, October 13). Increase in Homeless People in St. Ann | [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDGeAaHmC-E&t=1s
The Jamaica Information Service. (2021, July 15). Homelessness and Government Initiatives – Jamaica Information Service. Jamaica Information Service - The Voice of Jamaica. https://jis.gov.jm/information/get-the-facts/homelessness-and-government-initiatives/?msclkid=b708b2b4c17911ec83a4e13c41f20d09
Tufton, C. (2005, June 26). Paradise adrift: poverty in St Ann. The Jamaica Gleaner. http://old.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20050626/focus/focus3.html#:~:text=St.%20Ann%20is%20the%20hardest%20hit%2C%20now%20the,report%20is%20instructive%20in%20a%20number%20of%20respects.?msclkid=17962c66c11211ec8e1279983e352017
Wikipedia contributors. (2022a, April 19). Homelessness. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness?msclkid=999588c2c17711ec96cb4c68d4a7bb7a
Wikipedia contributors. (2022b, April 21). Social issue. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_issue?msclkid=ac8a0bc7c17411eca826f27e4e9f781a
Excellent Blog Poverty and crime are problems all across Jamaica, but especially in St. Ann, I knew. This blog post educated me on the topic of homelessness, which I was unaware of. Crime in St. Ann is still happening and will not cease, according to the thinking of young people. Thank you also for the videos. They were interesting to watch.
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent blog. I have learned about social issues and poverty and stuff like that. From the video i agree with what the lady said if you dont give them what they want. they will attack you.
ReplyDeleteGood Blog! Thank you for highlighting the social issues in St. Ann. Also, thanks for providing the agencies that can help these individuals. I was aware of poverty and crime being social issues but Homelessness is so prevalent with the onset of the pandemic, but I didn't realize that it was so prevalent in St. Ann. I taught this issue was found in Kingston mostly not St. Ann. The video was so touching to watch of the lady expressing that she isn't mentally ill but she has fell on hard times and has made the streets of St. Ann's Bay her home.
ReplyDelete