NCJ Number
190216
Journal
Caribbean Journal of Criminology and Social Psychology Volume: 5 Issue: 1&2 Dated: January/July 2000 Pages: 119-153
Date Published
2000
Length
35 pages
Annotation
This article presents the perspectives of violent men on the causes of violent crime among black men in Bermuda.
Abstract
Two focus group sessions were conducted inside the Westgate Correctional Facility, Bermuda’s maximum-security prison. The men were incarcerated offenders who had been convicted of committing violent crimes. The purpose of this research was to examine the “lived experiences” of a sample of violent offenders to enhance understanding of how such men attribute meaning to their involvement in violent behavior. The focus group findings suggested that the participants generally felt that violent crime in Bermuda was increasing, especially street-related violence. Also, the participants expressed the view that a variety of forms of violence were common including child abuse, child sexual abuse, intimate partner violence, and street-related violence. There were several factors that these participants considered as being major factors in contributing to what they perceived to be an increase of violence. There was a general consensus among them that challenges associated with achieving a decent income was a major problem for them and other black Bermudian men in general. They felt strongly that the country’s challenging economic situation was a source of frustration that compelled them to pursue deviant and criminal lifestyles. They believed that their efforts to achieve manhood through legitimate means had been hindered by the opportunities that the government had made available to non-black foreign nationals. Drug selling and other types of predatory crime (theft and robbery) had been justified as a way to earn money and achieve social status within the street culture. Prevention strategies include early intervention for youth at risk, reducing joblessness and underemployment, construction of an economic system that has a less punitive effect on Bermudians, and development of an action-plan to facilitate the reintegration of men who have been deported as a result of their criminal activities abroad. 32 references