Sociologist says prison time won’t curb domestic abuse

A sociologist is calling for a shift in strategy in tackling domestic violence, arguing that simply imprisoning offenders is insufficient and does not address the root causes of the problem.

Dr Paul Andrew Bourne told THE STAR that "the law should not be there to oppress an abuse, it should be there to correct problems".

"When the law hears about cases like these, it locks up the gentleman right? Put him behind bars, lock him away is that the solution?" he questioned. "It's further creating lawlessness. Some cases don't need court but counselling so the man can be reintegrated in the family so it can be wholesome."

To support his points, Bourne pointed to findings from his 2021 research, An Evaluation of Domestic Violence against Jamaican Women during the Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) Pandemic.

"We found that there was a 34 per cent increase in domestic violence. With so many cases the issue is why? So we asked them why and a number of the women explained why, they said one, the man is stressed out; two, he is the breadwinner; three, he has a cutting-edge salary; and four, he is just frustrated," Bourne noted.

He explained that the research suggests that "a number of women are looking at what is happening to men instead of what is happening to them". Bourne highlighted that economic dependency often prevents women from making formal reports.

"So, because they need help, we have to look at this as a coin. Would they report him and he goes to jail and prison, and they are cut off from their sources? So, it's a complex situation because they want to report it but the importance of the men who are often financial providers," he shared.

He continued, "it sounds illogical, but it is real because these women need to survive. So, if you lock up the man you are doing them a disservice as well because if you lock up the man the child can't to school next week or have food to eat."

Bourne also acknowledged that some women believe they can change their partners.

"Women see man as their child so she want to change him ... without recognising that the only thing she can change is her clothes," he said.

Instead, he said the solution lies in restructuring societal systems.

"We have to find a way now how to structure the society. When a woman is having these challenges she supposed to can find some safe house from the government, and she go there and stay and they provide her with some source of income and some employment generating capacity so she can go there and actually build her self and take her self out," he said.

He also took jabs at some institutions who he believes have fallen short.

"The Church has failed because long ago, the Church would have homes and places for women where they can come and stay. So there is no alternative or solution to the problem anymore; there are not enough social programmes and women don't have the help."

He stressed that addressing domestic violence requires a multidimensional approach.

"So we have to go back down to society where there is communal living and that start with the leadership at the top."

Head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force Domestic Violence Intervention Unit, Deputy Superintendent Jacqueline Dillon, recently noted that more than 7,000 domestic violence cases were reported to the JCF last year, with 34 murders linked to such incidents.

"Those are the only cases that we know about, as after Hurricane Melissa [in October], we had no communication for a while, so we were not able to pick up some of the data," she explained to JIS News in March.