Femicide in Jamaica Glendene Lemard, PhD Research Assistant Professor University of Massachusetts Amherst glemard@schoolph.umass.edu 413-545-2379

Jamaica’s homicide rate in 2005 was 64 per 100,000 persons Homicide Rates per 100,000 persons… World 8 Americas 19 United States 4 Murder Capital of the World Jamaica’s homicide rate in 2005 was 64 per 100,000 persons

METHODS Review of police reports on homicides 1998-2002 Find trends Bi-variate analyses conducted to find significant trends PROCESS IMPLICATIONS

Femicide in Jamaica Very different from male homicides Prior to 1998 data not disaggregated by gender Overshadowed by male homicide figures

Homicide in Jamaica

Femicide data in Jamaica Majority of homicides are reported to the police Police capture figures from the case narratives that are important Gender (since 1998) Weapon Motive Location Age

Motive for Homicide “Other” includes mob killings, police criminal confrontation, unknown Policy based on motive will overlook key issue with femicide: DISPUTE

Implement Used (2007)

Age of murder victims Data from 2007 Minimum age (months old) Maximum age (90) Average age (30) Most common age (21)

Police Classification Definitions Unwritten Normative “just understood” Motive Domestic violence versus dispute Location unclear Data not disaggregated into useful categories Much useful data not coded

Police classification of location is not sufficient Home: 1.5% Reclassification Home: 15.1%

Location of Homicide Homicide Location (Males) 12% Home 59% Street 6% Commercial 0.8% Open lot 17% Undetermined

Victim-Perpetrator Relationship

Rape-related femicide Information from narrative Seem to suggest stranger rape Violent rape…strangulation etc Lack of investigation on serial nature of rapes Age of the victims important More research needed

Typical cases from narrative Victim was at home asleep with her common-law husband when a group of men armed with guns kicked open the front door of house, entered and fired shots hitting victim all over her body. She was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead by the doctor Victim was at home sleeping when a group of men armed with guns fired shots inside the house hitting victim all over her body. The men then threw explosives inside the house causing a fire. Victim was pronounced dead at the hospital

Number of Assailants (2007)

Intimate Partner Violence The victim was at home talking to her boyfriend when her ex-boyfriend came there kicked off a side door and opened fire on the victim hitting her in her left side. Her boyfriend ran and escaped through a back door. Victim was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. Victim and accused who is her boyfriend had a dispute during which he used a knife to slash her throat. She was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead by the doctor on duty

What we know Age Motive (basic) Circumstances Weapon Location 37% of suspects arrested 10% of females

What we don’t know Victim-perpetrator relationship Motives for reprisals Motives for executions Correlations motive and weapon Suspects Groups of men? Why?

Information from Interviews Changing gender relations Women and children increasingly targeted in reprisal killings Indirect links to the drug trade and gang activity Love triangles are a problem Females sometimes kill females Disputes get out of hand

Recommendations More in depth research on circumstances Examine cases of in-direct abuse Strengthen systematic surveillance Training of police force Use data on femicide to target interventions

Acknowledgements Statistics Unit of the Jamaica Police Force Dr. Anthony Harriott at the University of the West Indies Dr. David Hemenway at Harvard School of Public Health Ms. Julaine Richardson of the Jamaica Police Force Mr. Gordon Wright of the Jamaica Police Force Centers for Disease Control and Prevention