1. Femicide in Jamaica Glendene Lemard, PhD Research Assistant Professor
University of Massachusetts Amherst

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

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

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

5. Homicide in Jamaica

6. 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

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

8. Implement Used (2007)

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

10. 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

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

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

13. Victim-Perpetrator Relationship

14. 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

15. 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

16. Number of Assailants (2007)

17. 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

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

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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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