Sociology

Crime and homelessness are some of the negative issues that affect most countries in the world. In the recent years, there has been an increase in the rate of crime and homelessness in the Virgin Islands and this has greatly affected the economy of the region as well as that of the United States in general. Different types of crime take place in the Virgin Islands including murder, gun crime, robberies, color crime, carjacking, larceny, rape among others. These crimes are committed mostly by the youths and for different reasons.

The effect of crime and homelessness in the Virgin Islands has been felt mainly in the following sectors education, economic growth and development, health and social welfare.

In order to fully understand the negative effects of crime and homelessness it is important to look at each of them separately and the implications it has on the society.

Different Types Crimes and its effects on the economy of the Virgin Islands

From the introduction part of this article, it has been noted that different types of crimes take place in the US Virgin Islands. These crimes have different effects on the economy as well as on the lives of the residents living in the region.

Levinson (2002) has observed that the general rate of crime in the US Virgin Islands increased from 20.1 in the 1980s to 24.1 in the 1990s. However, this rate has doubled from the year 2000. Levinson (2002) also gives the statistics of robbery, rape and larceny.
Statistics show that the rate of robbery also went up from 411 in 1980s to 577 cases per day in 1990s. Current studies show that the robbery rate in the US Virgin Islands has shot up to more than 1,200 cases per day. Rape cases went up from 66 in the 1980s to 74 in 1990s (Levinson 2002).

Apart from rape and the normal robbery which are the most common types of crimes, there are others that may seem to be minor but they do have a major impact on the economy and the environment as well. The rate of larceny has been on a steady rise from the early 1980s to date. The rates went up from 3,284 in the 1980s to 3,311 in the 1990s (Levinson, 2002). The current rate is double the rate of the 1990s due to various factors.

Factors that have led to the rise of crime in the US Virgin Islands
No one was born to be a criminal. Most youths are driven into crime by different reasons. Some of the reasons include

Unemployment Most youths in the US Virgin Islands have joined criminal gangs due to lack of meaningful employment for them to do. They therefore resort to using cruel methods to earn a living (Greenberg  Greenberg, 2006).

Alcoholism, drugs and drug abuse This habit has driven the youths to crime in order to finance their drug addiction and in the end most of them have died out of drug addiction problems (Greenberg  Greenberg, 2006).

Peer pressure Most youths come from the same hood and the pressure from their elders who have managed to survive through crime has attracted the rest into the profession (Greenberg  Greenberg, 2006).

 It is good to note that most youth around the world go through the same life cycle and temptations of life and therefore the above reasons do not only affect the youth in the US alone but also those from other nations. Crime and criminal activities in the US Virgin Islands have been motivated by several factors as mentioned next.

Reasons for the increase of criminal activities in US Virgin Islands
Monetary gain The desire for quick money has encouraged most youths to take up criminal activities for survival (Levinson, 2002)

Empowerment  Status In the criminal underworld, professionalism in carrying out tasks gives one respect among the members of the group. In some cases, one gets a promotion if they heshe successfully accomplishes a mission (Levinson, 2002).

Thrill Seeking For the sake of fun and adventure, most youths take up on carjacking just to enjoy the fun part of it, completely ignoring the fact that they are endangering their lives (Levinson, 2002).

How to Avoid Criminal Gangs in US Virgin Islands
The US Virgin Islands have been referred to as the lovers paradise by those who reside there or have visited the islands. However, the high rate of crime on the island has become a worm in the apple of the paradise (Greenberg  Greenberg, 2006). Greenberg and Greenberg (2006) have suggested a few steps that if taken into consideration can help one to avoid being a victim of crime on these islands.

These are highlighted below
Dress code For a tourist on the islands, avoid flashy jewelry and dress code for this will make you easily identifiable by the criminals. Dress appropriately and you will be safe.

The West Indies dock Although this area situated at St. Thomas is a nice place for day time walks and strolls, it should be avoid after sunset since it harbors criminals and thugs.

Money The more than 75 of the residents of the US Virgin Islands are unemployed. Any one who shows off large sums of money becomes a target by the criminal gangs. It is advisable to carry your currency in small denominations for clearing bills.

Homelessness in the US Virgin Islands
Shelter is supposed to be a basic need to all human beings. However, this is not so in most nations and the same applies to the Virgin Islands too. There are many street urchins and street mothers who are practically homeless. The residents of the US Virgin Islands are at a great risk of being homeless despite their status in the society. This is because, as an island in geographically sensitive area, Virgin Islands is  prone  to tsunami and hurricane attacks due to global warming and change in the weather patterns. In 1995 for instance, hurricane Marilyn hit the island it displaced thousands of people and caused massive losses (Porter  Prince, 2007). However the above cause of homelessness is a natural calamity and one that is hard to avoid.

Other man made factors that have contributed to homelessness on these islands are unemployment, alcoholism and drug abuse. These are vices that can be avoided but which the society chooses to ignore. There are some people who are employed but are homeless. These are the people whose income can not allow them to have a roof over their heads (Levinson, 2002).

The Virgin Islands are rich in many revenue generating projects for the US. Tourism is the main activity in these islands, comprising the Water Island, Saint Thomas, St. Croix and St. John islands (Porter  Prince, 2007). The Virgin Islands have some of the best beaches in the world which have unlimited tourist attraction sites. Other tourist attraction sites include the Sapphire and Trunk Bay islands (Porter  Prince, 2007).

The Effects of Crime and Homelessness on the Economy of the US Virgin Islands
Porter and Prince (2007) have discussed some of the effects of crime and homelessness on the economy of the US Virgin Islands. These effects can be categorized under education and academic effects, economic effects, health effects and social welfare effects.

Economic Effects
Due to increase in crime and insecurity on the islands, some cruise ship companies have opted to avoid the islands. This has greatly affected the economy of the US as well as that of the Islands especially the tourism sector which is the mainstay economic activity (Porter  Prince, 2007). All potential investors are afraid of investing in a place where crime is the order of the day. As a result, most investors both from the US and other world super powers have kept off from the islands notwithstanding the many investment opportunities.

Health and Social welfare effects
The rampant cases of crime and homelessness on the islands have greatly contributed to the rise of the HIV  AIDS pandemic and other terminal diseases on the islands (Porter  Prince, 2007).

The need for the homeless to have food and the criminals to get money has led to many of them engaging in promiscuous behavior which has led to the rise of this pandemic.  This has had both a social as well as economic impact to the nation and the island.

Education effects
Crime, which in most cases incorporates alcoholism, drugs and drugs abuse has had a major blow on the education sector of the US, specifically the Virgin Islands. Most young people have opted out of schools and colleges in order to try and find ways of getting money to sustain their habits (Porter  Prince, 2007).  As a result, very few have the required qualifications to fill the job opportunities available in the job market. This lack of skilled and qualified personnel has a direct negative impact on the economy of the US and the Islands.

Conclusion
The vice of crime on the Virgin Islands if not tackled early, will destroy the whole Islands and completely change the life style of the people. However, all is not lost. In order to combat this vice, the governor of the region and the police force need to work hand in had with the local residents in order to get rid of the criminal gangs, majority of which are blacks. Those who are addicted to drugs should be taken to rehabilitation centers and later on trained to acquire relevant skills.

As for the issue of homelessness, homes should be constructed for the street urchins and street families. The government of the day should help secure employment for the unemployed in order to enable them have decent living. This is the only way through which the US Virgin Islands region will restore its glory and curb the current economic deterioration.