Parental Determinants of Crime and the Preventive Role of Faith-Based Institutions in Jamaica: A Social Ecological Perspective

Abstract

Crime remains one of the most persistent social and developmental challenges confronting Jamaica, despite decades of governmental intervention and criminal justice reform. While considerable scholarly attention has been devoted to structural determinants such as poverty, inequality, unemployment and organised criminal networks, comparatively less emphasis has been placed on the influence of parental characteristics and family environments as antecedents of criminal behaviour. This article critically examines how parental factors, including father absence, inadequate parental supervision, child maltreatment and socioeconomic disadvantage, contribute to the development of antisocial behaviour and criminal offending, while evaluating the potential contribution of faith-based institutions to primary crime prevention. Drawing upon contemporary criminological, psychological and sociological literature, the article adopts a multidisciplinary perspective informed by Social Learning Theory, Social Control Theory and the Social Ecological Model to explain the interaction between family processes, community contexts and individual behavioural outcomes. The analysis argues that effective crime prevention in Jamaica requires public policy that strengthens parenting capacity, enhances family resilience and mobilises churches as community-based partners rather than treating criminal justice responses as the sole mechanism for reducing violence.