feature series

Photo courtesy of the Guardian Newspaper

The Guardian newspaper today has a feature based on some recent statistics from a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report. According to this extensive report, Kingston, Jamaica has the 10th highest murder rate out of the 137 most populous cities in the world.

There were 328 murders in 2011 in Kingston, an amount that marks a decrease from the previous year. The actual rate is 50.3 murders per 100,000 people. Most of the list consists of South American nations, although the top spot was taken by St. Kitts and Nevis. The second and third highest murder rates are in Caracas, Venezuela and Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Over the past several years, gang and drug-related violence has flared up so badly in Central and South America that residents of these nations are pouring over the U.S. borders, seeking safety and a better life.

The New York Times’ Damien Cave is currently writing a feature series on this issue and it is worth checking out. Some of the stories highlight the direct connection between poverty and gang violence. (Cave has written about Jamaica several times.)