Crime in Trinidad and Tobago: the effect of alcohol use and unemployment La delincuencia en Trinidad y Tabago: el efecto del consumo de alcohol y del desempleo

• Main Authors: Hari D. Maharajh, Akleema Ali
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Spanish; Portuguese
• Published: Pan American Health Organization 2004
• Subjects: Alcohol; crime; public health; Trinidad and Tobago; unemployment; Medicine; R; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270; Arctic; Trinidad
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/8c99f306d60942ed9ede970afd05fe6f

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether unemployment and alcohol consumption were associated with different types of crime in Trinidad and Tobago. METHODS: This study made use of secondary data from the Central Statistical Office of Trinidad and Tobago for the period 1990­1997. Pearson product moment correlations and stepwise multiple regression analysis were used to identify significant predictors of crime. RESULTS: Unemployment accounted for 69.2% of the variance for serious crimes. Beer available for home consumption explained 64% of the variance for minor offenses, and both unemployment and beer available for home consumption accounted for 92.2% of the variance for minor crimes. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides information that is potentially useful for developing public policies for unemployment and for the sale of beer for home consumption, both of which are associated with crime in Trinidad and Tobago. Reductions in beer available for home consumption-a major public health concern-would significantly reduce the occurrence of minor offenses in this country. Further research is needed on the relationship between unemployment and crime. OBJETIVO: Determinar si el desempleo y el consumo de alcohol se asociaban con distintos tipos de delincuencia en Trinidad y Tabago. MÉTODOS: El estudio se realizó con datos secundarios obtenidos de la Oficina Central de Estadísticas de Trinidad y Tabago para el período de 1990­1997. Se aplicaron correlaciones de Pearson del tipo producto-momento y análisis de regresión múltiple por eliminación progresiva (stepwise regression) para identificar los principales factores pronósticos relacionados con la delincuencia. RESULTADOS: El desempleo explicó 69,2% de la varianza en la frecuencia de delitos graves. La disponibilidad de cerveza para consumo en el hogar explicó 64% de la varianza en la frecuencia de infracciones menores, y el desempleo junto con la disponibilidad de cerveza para consumo en el hogar explicaron 92,2% de la varianza en la frecuencia de ...