News
Crime on the Rise: Can Psychology Help?
Introduction
Crime is an expensive aspect of society and sucks a significant amount of public funds. Consistently government spends money on courts, police, probation services, and prisons. The worst part of it is the human costs that include pain, fear, and loss of life. As it pertains to the recent scenes of violent crimes that occurred in our Beautiful by Nature, Turks & Caicos Islands, I am optimistic that authorities are doing their very best to curb brutal crimes and my mind goes thus far as to assume that the established authorities are gathering every piece of intelligence to eradicate or at the very least decrease crime in our community. One thing I pray is that criminal psychology, which is an essential piece of the puzzle not overlooked.
Public perception of crimes
When violent crimes occur in any society, the tendency is set to blame people who may perceive to be accountable. For example, governments blame law enforcement for not doing enough. In reaction, law enforcement blames the government for not providing enough resources. The church blames the parents for not playing their parental roles in the household. In turn, the parents blame the church for not shepherding the congregants, especially the young people to keep moral and spiritual standards; the school system does not spare from that chain of critics. Then, society blames the criminals and those who supply firearms and ammunition.
In reality, who is to blame?
I believe we should come to a consensus that we must better understand the criminal mindset and work on it collectively since the blame does not help too much in solving crimes. Contrary to public opinion, firearms as
dangerous as they can be, trigger the temptation to exercise a greater force that facilitates murders at a faster pace. But in reality, the mindset determines the course of action. This depicts the idea that if the firearms are taken away from the criminals when nothing is done to reprogram the mindset, criminals will use any other means to commit the intended crime. In his famous book Tao Te Ching (the way of Life), Lao Tsu stated, “Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”
Literature review
In a criminal psychology class, a professor made a statement that shocked the students, particularly an Islander man like me who at that time had mere knowledge of crimes. He quoted (Durkheim, 1895) “as arguing that crime is an inevitable and normal aspect of social life. He pointed out that crime is inevitable in all societies, and that the crime rate was in fact higher in more advanced, industrial societies.” Thus, understanding criminology theories are key to determining why people turn to crime, and it is a step toward reducing crime rates and making society safer.
Takeaways from the Premier’s press conference
The minister of Education divulged the findings from the unfortunate incident of violent crime in Five Cays. She believes this phenomenon emanates from the social ill, including children raised in dysfunctional homes or uncaring families. Suppose the reliability and validity of data are proven. In that case, there are significant reasons to believe that we are not facing just a scene of random crimes, but a societal problem that needs to be addressed at the highest cleverness level. I believe psychologists, sociologists, and other critical thinkers have some answers.
After decades of research on criminal minds, irrefutable evidence suggests three major psychological theories that speak to this phenomenon: psychodynamic, behavioral, and cognitive. The psychodynamic theory focuses on a person’s early childhood experience and how it influences the likelihood of committing crimes. The behavioral approach emphasizes how the perception of the world influences behavior. And cognitive theory focuses on how people manifest their perceptions can lead to a life of crime.
In conclusion, while these psychological terms and theories will be developed in the next episode, let us all admit that crime is a deterrent to the socio-economic development of our community, and the “fierce urgency of now” is to uplift conversations about crime from the traditional level to the highest standard of collective and individual intelligence and knowledge. We are all concerned and must engage in the fight with clever approaches.
Alces Dor
Psychologist
News
DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM REGULATIONS INTRODUCES “RATE YOUR RIDE” SYSTEM FOR TOURISTS VISITING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
FROM THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 27th March, 2024 – Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands: The Department of Tourism Regulations is proud to unveil the “Rate Your Ride” system, a new initiative designed to enhance the vacation experience for tourists exploring our picturesque islands.
The “Rate Your Ride” system empowers tourists to provide valuable feedback on the quality of transportation services they receive
while visiting the Turks and Caicos Islands. Through an easy-to-use online form, tourists can rate factors such as cleanliness, comfort, safety, and professionalism of drivers, helping us to assure the highest quality of service standards across all modes of transportation.
By participating in the “Rate Your Ride” system, tourists play a crucial role in shaping the future of transportation services in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Their feedback will enable us to identify areas for improvement and ensure that every visitor enjoys safe, comfortable, and convenient travel throughout their stay in the Turks and Caicos.
The code will also be publicly accessible through the cooperation of volunteer drivers who will make the rating code available in their vehicles. Flyers and stickers displaying the code will be distributed at hotels, resorts and airports. The mandated display of these codes is expected to align with the rollout of our tourism regulations in 2025.
For more information about the “Rate Your Ride” system and other initiatives by the Department of Tourism Regulations, please visit gov.tc/tourismregulations/or contact us via telephone at 946-4970 and email at tourismregulations@gov.tc.
FROM THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 27th March 2024– The Department of Behavioral Health Services is appealing to the general public to refrain from recording and circulating videos of persons who may appear to be experiencing a mental health crisis. Anyone can experience a mental health crisis at some point in their life. According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem in any given year. Persons may struggle with very common conditions such as Anxiety
and Depression or be diagnosed with more serious conditions like Bipolar Disorder or Psychosis.
“There are a lot of misunderstandings about various mental health conditions and how they may manifest. In addition, there are a number of negative perceptions and misconceptions that society exhibits towards people with mental health problems. However, just as we would show care and concern for someone diagnosed with Cancer, or any other physical illness, in the same way, we need to be as caring and helpful to persons with mental illnesses”– stated Director of the Department of Behavioral Health Services, Dr. Alicia Malcolm.
The Department is urging the public to call the following numbers if you see someone who appears to be experiencing a mental health crisis:
338-5473/338-3616: Providenciales, North or Middle Caicos
338-3614/338-3612: Grand Turk, South Caicos, Salt Cay
338-6301: Nights and Weekends
If someone is putting themselves or someone else in immediate, serious risk of harm, call 911.
The Department of Behavioral Health services is here to help and provides the following services which are free and confidential:
Location of above services:
o Sam Harvey Building, Down Town, Providenciales,
o Primary Health Care Department, Cheshire Hall Medical Center, Providenciales
o Department of Behavioural Health, Duncombe Alley, Grand Turk
Let’s all do our part in creating a community where people with mental health problems feel respected, supported and cared for.
For additional information, please visit the Ministry of Health’s Facebook page on https://www.facebook.com/tciministryofhealth/ or the Department of Behavioral Health Services Faceebook on https://www.facebook.com/TCIDBHS/.
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom, 27th March 2024: The PR, marketing, and communications sector is poised for potential growth and could lead the Caribbean region in terms of industry standards says Damian Wilson. Wilson’s suggestion comes after the release of a new research report into the current trends and future direction of the sector as a possible emerging industry in the Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI).
Wilson is the report’s author, which conveys the findings of research which he initiated. “One of the key research results is the
considerable optimism by industry practitioners and government alike, with persons seeing growth potential. I believe that we can become regional leaders in this field. I believe that one of the initiatives that could be used to do this is by establishing a ‘TCI Centre of Communications Excellence’ within the TCI Community College. Such an institute would be dedicated to communication and media innovation with a particular focus on digital communications and ICT,” says Wilson.
He further explained, “I believe that the PR, marketing, and communications sector, like much of the country, is at a crossroads and could have an even greater impact on our socio-economic fabric. Some may have concerns about our small size, but I believe this makes us far more agile than our neighbours. All in all, any potential growth must be underpinned by new investments, professional development, and a strategy to integrate the sector into the broader economy.”
Wilson also said that he sees his research as a first step in understanding our own industry sectors in the TCI and would love to see more profound research and analysis conducted. He’s hoping that the report will spark discussion along those lines. The report is entitled ‘Current Trends and Future Direction: A Preliminary Report on the PR, Marketing, and Communications Sector in the Turks & Caicos Islands’. Anyone wanting a copy of the report can contact Damian Wilson via his email, damian.wilson.pr@gmail.com.
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