The Occurrence of High Homicide Rates in Puerto Rico

The Occurrence of High Homicide Rates in Puerto Rico

Timothy M. Anderson

Thomas Edison State University

Abstract

Multiple outlets have identified Puerto Rico as having a notably high homicide rate in comparison to other parts of the U.S. This report explores the severity of the homicide problem by comparing fifteen years of Uniform Crime Reports for Puerto Rico. The paper analyses potential causes based on historical and cultural data drawing conclusions about the source of the high homicide rate. Several criminological theories are applied to Puerto Rico’s crime situation in attempt to explain the results of the crime rates. Lastly, four suggestions are made to assist in lowering the homicide rate in Puerto Rico, which, as an unintended side effect should also improve overall crime rates, island revenue, and the population’s overall welfare.

The purpose of this report is to conduct statistical investigation, comparison, and analysis of crime data in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to another similar population in order to determine whether a homicide problem exists in Puerto Rico. In addition to analysis, an inquiry will be made into the sources behind the alleged homicide problem, as well as potential solutions to said problem. In this report the FBI's annual Uniform Crime Report (UCR) will be the primary data utilized for comparison. The UCR defines murder and non-negligent manslaughter as “The willful (nonnegligent) killing of one human being by another” (U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2013). It should be noted that the FBI's data for this category does not include “The killing of a felon by a peace officer in the line of duty” or “The killing of a felon, during the commission of a felony, by a private citizen” (U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2013). For this research project we are purely concerned with crime and not justifiable application of deadly force or circumstances of self-defense.

        The Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) chosen for this paper was the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, MSA (Greater Detroit). It has a comparable population and a nearly identical population density to Puerto Rico. Fifteen years of UCR data was compiled for both Puerto Rico and Greater Detroit and arranged in a data table included with this report for the years 2000-2014 (Appendix A). Unemployment rates were also included for the two areas. In addition to homicide, rape and robbery were also examined in order to determine if high crime rates are exclusive to murder and not just all violent crime. All rates (except unemployment) were listed in a format per 100,000 inhabitants.

        Comparison between Puerto Rico and Greater Detroit data suggests that there most certainly is a homicide problem in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico's homicide rate is typically twice as large as Greater Detroit's, and in 2011 was more than three times Greater Detroit's. There is a definite trend where homicide rate begins increasing in 2009, but has still been significantly higher since the beginning of the data surveyed. Following the sharp increase in 2011 the murder rate declines until returning to close to its running average in 2014.

        Review of the other violent crime data reveals another observation where the data differs. Puerto Rico's rape rate has been much lower than Greater Detroit, with the greatest deviance in 2013 where Puerto Rico's rape rate was about 2% of Greater Detroit's. In addition, while Puerto Rico's murder statistic was increasing its occurrence of rape was lowering. Puerto Rico's robbery rate is nearly comparable to Greater Detroit's with either district leading the other by a small margin through various years.

        Criminologists have divergent opinions about whether unemployment affects crime ratings, but many have made correlations between them (Ajimotokin, Haskins, and Wade, 2015). In regards to the homicide rate in Puerto Rico, an increase in homicide rates occurred at the same time as an increase in unemployment rates beginning in 2009. During the same time period robbery rates went up. Greater Detroit experienced similar increases in unemployment rates and robbery rates during those years, but the homicide rates remained consistent. This provides evidence to support the claim that Puerto Rico's high homicide rates were not likely to be caused by high unemployment rates.

        Additional reports have outlined several factors surrounding Puerto Rico's homicide issue. Most of the murders are predominantly committed by males on males (Crosby et al., 2006)(Zavala-Zegarra et al., 2012). From 2000-2010 male homicide victims accounted for over 90% of Puerto Rico's total number of victims with the greatest percentage of age range falling between 15-29. Of all the homicide in the country, over 80% of the deaths were caused by firearms (Zavala-Zegarra et al., 2012). The vast majority of the homicide that occurred in Puerto Rico took place in the larger metropolitan areas with higher population densities. The central mountain areas contained the lowest homicide rates (Zavala-Zegarra et al., 2012).

Puerto Rico's homicide problem comes from several factors, but many of those factors are connected to the drug trafficking on the island. A 2011 Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA) report stated that officials attributed 75 percent of that year's murders to the drug trade. Drug trafficking remains a serious problem in Puerto Rico because once the drugs have entered Puerto Rico there are no more US customs check points to catch the illegally trafficked drugs (COHA, 2011). Puerto Rico is in close proximity to Colombia, the world's top cocaine producer (Miroff, 2015). High firearms murder rates are seen in other countries between Colombia and the U.S. along the path that illegal drugs take to get to America (Zavala-Zegarra et al., 2012)(McElroy & Roccanti). Puerto Rico is a logical first stop for cocaine and heroin on its way to the U.S (U.S. Department of Justice National Drug Intelligence Center, 2011). According to a report by the National Drug Intelligence Center in 2011 murders related to drug trafficking increased from the previous years. In 2006, 2007, and 2008 increasing amounts of cocaine were seized on the island (Zavala-Zegarra et al., 2012). Recent investigations by the FBI have exposed that Puerto Rican police have provided protection to drug dealers (Frieden, 2010) which could make it difficult to determine the full extent of the drug trafficking problem on the island.