This compilation of works highlights the historical, economic, and human dynamics behind youth offending in the nations of the West Indies. Youth Crime and Violence in the Caribbean offers insights into the slow rate of system change yet leaves readers with an optimistic picture of possibilities. Recent events in Haiti and neighboring Venezuela demonstrate how quickly dynamics in the Caribbean area can shift if crime is not addressed and people increasingly disengage from systems in a manner that allows despots to rise to power. When this happens, the impacts are not localized.

Contributions by: Myrna Cintron, Christopher A.D. Charles, Marika Dawkins-Cavazos, Camille A. Gibson, Lorna E. Grant, Monique S. Grant, Howard Kurtz, Sherill V. C. Morris-Francis, Raquel Ovalle, Alaba Oludare, Wayne J. Pitts, Indira Rampersad, Gleasia S. O. Reid, Jacqueline Rhoden-Trader, Latoya Smart, Virginia Vallejo, Nelseta Walters-Jones