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
    Sports
    SVG finishes third in 2026 WINLOTT Under-19 Cricket Tournament
    Webmaster 
    April 24, 2026
    ST.VINCENT and the Grenadines (SVG), finished third in the 2026 WINLOTT /Windward Islands Under-19 Cricket Tournament held in Dominica from April 11 –...
    Sports
    Round -2 of VSPL kicks off this weekend
    Webmaster 
    April 24, 2026
    THE 10 clubs that are contesting the 2026 Vincy Soccer Premier League (VSPL), will play their tenth match this weekend at the Brighton Technical Centr...
    On Target
    When punching above our weight class
    Webmaster 
    April 24, 2026
    STVINCENT ANDTHE GRENADINES for good measure and noble intent, participates in several sporting competitions regionally and on the broader internation...
    Sports
    SVFBF Vice-President Ramon Johnson embarks on ICECP
    Webmaster 
    April 24, 2026
    THE St.Vincent and the Grenadines Basketball Federation has announced that one of its national coaches and executive members, second Vice-President Ra...
    Our Readers' Opinions
    Senior citizens need our respect
    Webmaster 
    April 24, 2026
    EDITOR: Our senior citizens have, in most cases, made a great contribution to our society. Sadly, but true, many are not treated with the respect and ...
    Our Readers' Opinions
    The wanton destruction of our beautiful country
    Webmaster 
    April 24, 2026
    EDITOR: At the southern tip of our island lies the most picturesque and breathtaking stretch of scenic view, unsurpassed in the Caribbean, and I belie...
    News
    Miss SVG delegates grace stage at Vincymas launch
    News
    Miss SVG delegates grace stage at Vincymas launch
    Webmaster 
    April 21, 2026
    THEY WERE OFFICIALLY unveiled in August 2025, and were scheduled to take to the stage in November. However, this was not to be, so the seven ladies wh...
    Police Commissioner urges public not to destroy road safety mirrors
    News
    Police Commissioner urges public not to destroy road safety mirrors
    Webmaster 
    April 21, 2026
    WHEN PEOPLE BREAK or destroy traffic convex mirrors that are strategically placed by the traffic department of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines...
    Edinboro man jailed on cocaine, grievous bodily harm charges
    From the Courts, News
    Edinboro man jailed on cocaine, grievous bodily harm charges
    Webmaster 
    April 21, 2026
    A MANWHO KNOCKED DOWN a police officer with a car in August 2024 and was minutes later caught with 11 kilograms of cocaine was jailed for 41 months on...
    South Windward Police Youth Club launches anti-crime youth-driven video competition
    News
    South Windward Police Youth Club launches anti-crime youth-driven video competition
    Webmaster 
    April 21, 2026
    THE South Windward PoliceYouth Club (PYC), has launched a youth-driven competition aimed at tackling crime through creativity. The Club is inviting pa...
    Van overturns in Gordon Yard, North Leeward
    News
    Van overturns in Gordon Yard, North Leeward
    Webmaster 
    April 21, 2026
    A van overturned, Monday April 20, 2026, in Gordon Yard, North Leeward, while travelling to Chateaubelair. It was said that the vehicle experienced br...

    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