Psychologists ‘want comprehensive approach to youth violence’

The head of the Barbados Society of Psychology (BSP) has urged for a more thorough and wide-ranging campaign to address anger issues among young people, in response to a troubling surge in violent crimes involving youth offenders.

Ronald Pope, president of the BSP, told Barbados TODAY that the recent spate of brazen violent acts committed by young people over the past several months is deeply concerning and highlights a societal failure to address anger issues among youth.

“They have not been able to manage their anger, they have not been able to manage their emotions, and as a result, when you don’t have any kind of intervention, when you have anger management issues or emotion regulation issues from young, it just gets worse and worse,” Pope said.

The call for action comes in the wake of last week’s death of 17-year-old Takori Wilkinson, who died from his injuries at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. A 16-year-old teenager, Kimani Kyori Starker, has been charged with the 31st homicide for the year.

Pope described the current approach of introducing small initiatives in schools and communities for counselling as piecemeal, given the alarming rise in violent crimes committed by young people, particularly those involving firearms.

“We have reached that point where we definitely need to see that wider initiative within society and within schools,” he stated, adding that a comprehensive strategy for early and thorough intervention must be developed by stakeholders to effectively combat the escalating violence.

The BSP president also stressed the importance of addressing these issues at home: “Whatever we do has to work in the home as well, because the home is usually where [the problems] start.”

Shawn Clarke, head of Supreme Counselling for Personal Development, echoed Pope’s sentiments and called for an overhaul of the rehabilitation framework for young offenders.

“It is now all well and good to say lock them up for 12, 15 years, to be punished for the crime that has been committed without any level of intervention,” Clarke said. He argued for the implementation of deep-level therapy and interventions during incarceration to better prepare offenders for reintegration into society.

shamarblunt@barbadostoday.bb