Searchlight Logo
special_image

    • News
      • Front Page
      • News
      • Breaking News
      • Press Release
      • Features
      • Special Features
      • From the Courts
      • Sports
      • Regional / World
    • Opinions
      • Editorial
      • Our Readers’ Opinions
      • Bassy – Love Vine
      • Dr. Fraser- Point of View
      • R. Rose – Eye of the Needle
      • On Target
      • Dr Jozelle Miller
      • The World Around Us
      • Random Thoughts
    • Advice
      • Kitchen Corner
      • What’s on Fleek this week
      • Health Wise
      • Physician’s Weekly
      • Business Buzz
      • Hey Rosie!
      • Prime the pump
    • ePaper
    • Obituaries
      • In Memoriam / Acknowledgement
      • Tribute
    • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Letters To The Editor
      • General Contact Information
      • Contact our Webmaster
    • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Interactive Media Ltd
      • St. Vincent & the Grenadines
    • Subscribe
    • News
      • Front Page
      • News
      • Breaking News
      • Press Release
      • Features
      • Special Features
      • From the Courts
      • Sports
      • Regional / World
    • Opinions
      • Editorial
      • Our Readers’ Opinions
      • Bassy – Love Vine
      • Dr. Fraser- Point of View
      • R. Rose – Eye of the Needle
      • On Target
      • Dr Jozelle Miller
      • The World Around Us
      • Random Thoughts
    • Advice
      • Kitchen Corner
      • What’s on Fleek this week
      • Health Wise
      • Physician’s Weekly
      • Business Buzz
      • Hey Rosie!
      • Prime the pump
    • ePaper
    • Obituaries
      • In Memoriam / Acknowledgement
      • Tribute
    • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Letters To The Editor
      • General Contact Information
      • Contact our Webmaster
    • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Interactive Media Ltd
      • St. Vincent & the Grenadines
    • Subscribe
Our Readers' Opinions
July 30, 2004

The root causes of crime in society

Please permit me a space in your paper to deal with crime.
I remember as a boy growing up that what our parents gave us, we had to be satisfied with. Now over the last 50 years almost every country in Western Europe and North America has experienced an enormous increase in crime rates. {{more}}Neighbourhoods that once were safe at night have become dangerous during the day; random acts of violence, once almost unknown have become common. The good news is that rates seem to have stabilized in the 1990s; the bad news is that it appears to be largely a demographic issue.
Most perpetrators of crime are young men. In fact you can pick a social ill at random and you will find that the correlation with having no father is clear and direct: depression, suicide, dropping out of school, teenage pregnancy, drug use… To summarize, fatherless children are five times more likely to commit suicide, 32 times more likely to run away, 14 times more likely to commit rape and 20 times more likely to end up in prison. Fatherless children are also, according to one British study, about 33 times more likely to be abused. In 1983, the United States Department of Health and Human Services found that 60 per cent of children are abused by mothers with sole custody of their children. Almost all of the rest come from other members of her entourage, especially boyfriends and second husbands. Under these circumstances you would think that there would be an enormous amount of research under way by the police to understand what is happening. The media should be demanding answers.

Wilbert Scipio

  • FacebookComments
  • ALSO IN THE NEWS
    Leacock calls on youth to get off the block and find work
    Front Page
    Leacock calls on youth to get off the block and find work
    Webmaster 
    February 3, 2026
    DURING A RECENT meeting between government and several members of the private sector, business people repeatedly mentioned a shortage of workers, part...
    Some workers reinstated after vaccine mandate feel shortchanged after getting ‘small’ bonuses
    Front Page
    Some workers reinstated after vaccine mandate feel shortchanged after getting ‘small’ bonuses
    Webmaster 
    February 3, 2026
    A JANUARY 26, 2026 dated memo signed by the Director of Finance and Planning and addressed to all permanent secretaries and heads of departments advis...
    700 people still in gov’t paid housing, says Leacock
    Front Page
    700 people still in gov’t paid housing, says Leacock
    Webmaster 
    February 3, 2026
    GOVERNMENT SAYS it cannot just “throw out” people who are still in rental housing being paid for by the public purse, but also acknowledges that this ...
    Niece urges uncle’s alleged daughter to return his US$98,000
    Front Page
    Niece urges uncle’s alleged daughter to return his US$98,000
    Webmaster 
    February 3, 2026
    GRACIE GONSALVES,THE niece of Vincentian dementia and Alzheimer’s patient Hermus George is calling on a woman who claimed to be George’s biological da...
    Man who threatened to kill Massy employee placed on bond
    Front Page
    Man who threatened to kill Massy employee placed on bond
    Webmaster 
    February 3, 2026
    A BELAIR MAN, who claimed that he was under the influence of alcohol when he pointed a knife at a Massy Stores employee, and threatened to “slash” her...
    New positions added to Ministry of National Security
    News
    New positions added to Ministry of National Security
    Webmaster 
    February 3, 2026
    A TOTAL OF 66 new positions have been added to the Ministry of National Security to help combat crime in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Prime Minister...
    News
    New positions added to Ministry of National Security
    News
    New positions added to Ministry of National Security
    Webmaster 
    February 3, 2026
    A TOTAL OF 66 new positions have been added to the Ministry of National Security to help combat crime in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Prime Minister...
    Minister of Airports and Seaports promises to take care of Southern Grenadines’ needs
    News
    Minister of Airports and Seaports promises to take care of Southern Grenadines’ needs
    Webmaster 
    February 3, 2026
    LONG SERVING MEMBER of Parliament for the Southern Grenadines, Terrance Ollivierre, has promised to never disappoint the people who have been electing...
    Redemption Sharpes man pleads guilty to stealing ginger
    From the Courts, News
    Redemption Sharpes man pleads guilty to stealing ginger
    Webmaster 
    February 3, 2026
    A REDEMPTION SHARPES man was jailed, given a suspended sentence and was ordered to pay compensation for stealing $800 worth of ginger. Glenroy Holder ...
    Community College launches its 2026 “World of Work” Programme
    News
    Community College launches its 2026 “World of Work” Programme
    Webmaster 
    January 30, 2026
    The St.Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC), said it officially launched its 2026 World of Work (WOW) Programme on January 23, 2026. N...
    Two members welcomed to The Alliance for Primary Health Care in the Americas
    News
    Two members welcomed to The Alliance for Primary Health Care in the Americas
    Webmaster 
    January 30, 2026
    THE ALLIANCE FOR PRIMARY HEALTH CARE (PHC), in the Americas, a joint initiative of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the World Bank (WB), a...

    E-EDITION
    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    Subscribe Now
    • Interactive Media Ltd. • P.O. Box 152 • Kingstown • St. Vincent and the Grenadines • Phone: 784-456-1558 © Copyright Interactive Media Ltd.. All rights reserved.
    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok