Causes of crime in Trinidad and Tobago

Crime in Trinidad and Tobago is currently very high. This is because of several reasons that are related to the crime itself both directly and indirectly. One of the direct reasons is poverty. Because many families cannot make ends meet i.e. they can no longer fully support themselves, they are forced into poverty. This causes them to live in
ghetto communities (slums) without proper social services and utilities. Poverty results in desperation and the need to survive and therefore, many people who are victims of poverty turn to crime to escape it. Poverty-stricken people become burgulars, sell drugs and sometimes they even become hitmen. But there would never be any poverty without a lack of education and so a lack of education is an indirect reason for crime. Many youths drop out of school because of the pressure placed on them or because their parents cannot afford the tuition. They end up raising a family without a high-paying, secure job and when unemployment payments are no longer sufficient, they turn to crime to support their family. Another direct reason for crime in Trinidad and Tobago is inflation. Inflation in Trinidad and Tobago is currently at 7.8% (2008 est.). This results in the increase in price of the most basic commodities such as food, water etc. This results in people turning to crimes such as theft to help pay for food and water. One final cause is poor upbringing. There are some families where either one parent is missing or both parints are missing. This means that the child would not get the attention that he needs and he would not be taught good morals and ethics. This can cause the child to be with the wrong company and that can force him to join a gang and turn to crime.
Sources:
<references/>The Caribean Environment for CXC Geography (textbook)
<references/>The Guardian (newspaper)
<references/>The Express (newspaper)

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