The Occurrence of High Homicide Rates in Puerto Rico

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Additionally, the Puerto Rican Police Department (PRPD) has been involved in multiple scandals (Frieden, 2010) (U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs, 2014), suspected of violations of U.S. constitutional rights (American Civil Liberties Union, 2012)(U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, 2014), and is known for its overuse of force (American Civil Liberties Union, 2012)(Vice News, 2015). Citizens have difficulty contacting the authorities for help because of the level of corruption in the police department (Vice News, 2015). Some citizens have even expressed fear of reprisals from other locals for reporting grievances to the police (Godoy, 2008) because of the way the people feel towards the police (Vice News, 2015). In Puerto Rico citizens see the police as something they need to protect themselves from and not a form of security in their society (Vice News, 2015).

This perspective is not unjustified. A 6-month investigation in 2012 by the American Civil Liberties Union stated that, “...the police force is plagued by a culture of violence and corruption” (p.11). PRPD has commonly conducted illegal search and seizure with little to no repercussions for the offending officers. The report details numerous alleged occurrences of the PRPD operating under racial profiling, using lethal force against unarmed persons, and failing to investigate or prosecute those offenses (American Civil Liberties Union, 2012). The PRPD’s corruption is not limited only to human rights violations. In 2010 the FBI conducted Operation Guard Shack, a culmination of two years of investigation into the police and local government’s involvement with the drug trafficking industry which resulted in the arrest of 133 subjects, mostly police. It was cited as possibly being “…the largest police corruption case in the FBI’s History” (U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2010). More recently, a group of police officers were found guilty of using their position of authority to conduct illegal searches, sell narcotics, extort wrongfully arrested citizens, and forge court documents (U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, 2014).

The concentration of firearms and the strength of the guns seized seem to contribute to Puerto Rico’s high homicide rate as well. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) firearms trace data from 2014 indicates that the majority of the firearms recovered by law enforcement in Puerto Rico came from the cities of Bayamon and San Juan. These areas have some of the highest concentrations of homicide on the island (Zavala-Zegarra et al., 2012). Most of the traced weapons came from either Florida or Puerto Rico itself, but the source was unaccounted for in 37.4 percent of the cases (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, 2015). Puerto Rico has restrictions on the types of firearms that can be owned by civilians legally (Vice News, 2015) Some of these weapons may have entered the country through illegal sources. While most of the weapons retrieved are found abandoned close to half were recovered while the carrier was involved in some illegal activity. Only 18 of the 1,261 weapons were recovered from a homicide (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, 2015), but it can be difficult to tell how many of the found weapons could also have been connected to a homicide. At 28 percent Puerto Rico's most recovered caliber was the .40 caliber, which is much higher than the national average of 10 percent for .40 caliber rounds (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, 2015). The prevalence of higher caliber rounds could contribute to the overall lethality of the weapons utilized on Puerto Rico (Di Maio, 1999).

The state of Puerto Rico’s emergency care may reduce the survivability of a firearms attack (Godoy, 2008). At 5.4, Puerto Rico has nearly half as many emergency physicians per 100,000 than the lowest ranked state in the continental United States (America’s College of Emergency Physicians, 2014). Emergency response times in Puerto Rico seem to lag behind that of the mainland (Godoy, 2008). Since the lethality and internal damage is greater with higher caliber rounds (Di Maio, 1999), the average gunshot wound is more likely to require more imminent medical attention to save a person’s life. Puerto Rico’s emergency medical system is less likely to be able to provide this need, which would result in less survivors and more homicides (Godoy, 2008).

A high homicide rate is not the only significant problem in Puerto Rico. In 2013, over 45 percent of the population of Puerto Rico was below the poverty limit (Bishaw & Fontenot, 2014). As of April 2016 Puerto Rico had an unemployment rate of 11.7 percent (U.S. Department of Labor, 2016). Between 2013 and 2014 Puerto Rico’s population decreased by 47,442 people (U.S. Census Bureau Population Division, 2015), and has been decreasing since 2005 because of economic opportunities in the continental United States (Abel & Deitz, 2014). The economic condition of Puerto Rico provides a logical reason for the prevalence of drug trafficking on the island based on rational choice theory. Rational choice theory states that some people choose criminality when the economic rewards outweigh the risks associated with committing the crime (Siegel, 2015). In an environment where there is an economic need drug money is an enticing way to earn a living. If it is known that the police can be bribed to turn a blind eye or even provide help to drug smugglers this lowers the risks involved with drug trafficking. It increases the chances of Puerto Ricans committing those crimes. As previously stated, most of the murders are connected to the drug trade (COHA, 2011) (U.S. Department of Justice National Drug Intelligence Center, 2011) (McElroy & Roccanti) so more drug trafficking would mean more murders.

Walter Miller’s focal concerns theory serves as another explanation for the high homicide rates in Puerto Rico. Since a large portion of the Puerto Rican population are below poverty level (Bishaw & Fontenot, 2014) lower class concerns can overrule middle class values. Siegel’s Criminology: The Core describes some of focal concern theory’s street values: Toughness, street-smarts, autonomy (not relying on the law), and maintaining your level of respect (Siegel, 2015). Focal concern theory hypothesizes that lower class Puerto Ricans would not rely on the law to administer justice when they experience a wrongdoing; They would handle the problem themselves. This helps to maintain the individual’s level of respect and autonomy which is critical to survival in poor neighborhoods (Siegel, 2015) With a large disparity