Profile of the State of Criminology in Haiti (From Crime and Punishment in the Caribbean, P 88-92, 1980, Rosemary Brana-Shute and Gary Brana-Shute, ed. - See NCJ-77904)

• NCJ Number: 77910
• Author(s): M Carre
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 5 pages
• Sale Source: University Press of Florida
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper outlines the history of Haitian society, considers possible implications for crime patterns in Haiti, and describes the state of criminological research in Haiti.

Abstract

The bourgeoisie in Haiti is composed mostly of light-skinned people (whites and mulattoes). In this relatively affluent class, emphasis is given to lightness of skin as a prerequisite for being socially and economically accepted. The country people (peasants), who are still linked culturally to Africa, account for 80 percent of the population. In Haiti, luxury goods are in short supply and salaries are low, so that a minority group may be seen as monopolizing the 'good life.' This could produce a socioeconomic frustration among the lower class that fuels crime and delinquency. Criminological research in Haiti lacks the concrete data needed for more refined analysis. There are no sound data on numbers and types of offenses committed nor any information sufficient to study offenders. The Institute of Social Research has been established in Port-au-Prince, with its first priority being to undertake research whose findings can aid in developing a sentencing system and a corrections approach that will help the offender adopt a normative adjustment to Haitian society. Six notes are listed.