Our country in 1975 and Jamaica in 1975 were pretty good places to live. Just like in 2016, we are again becoming pretty similar and that isn't that much of a good news story either.


A lot of people don't seem to realize that crime rates in the US were much, much higher in the mid 70s than they are today. Crime hasn't become worse in the US, but the narrative has changed to make it seem that way for political purposes.

I don't know what the reality is in JA. Certainly Negril is a lot different but I suspect that's substantially a function of population growth. For decades JA has had a reputation for crime being out of control. Regular visitors decried that as a false rep. With a couple incidents in their "neighborhood" many of the same folks are now joining the chorus about how dangerous it is. Has crime statistically increased all that much or is it perception due to a couple of high profile incidents?

Crime is a funny thing in terms of stats. Only recently learned that my own county has the highest crime rate in Florida. Given Florida's reputation, that statistic might leave a visitor worried. But I have never lived anywhere in this country where I had less concern about crime impacting my own life. There is nowhere in this city I ever think twice about potentially being a victim of crime. Which isn't all that relevant, but it does go to show our perception of crime has a lot to do with what crimes we hear about and how those crimes intersect with the sphere of our own lives.