Gun laws in Jamaica Gun laws in Jamaica Gun laws in Jamaica began to be tightened in the early 1970s, when Jamaica experienced a rise in violence associated with criminal gangs and political polarization between supporters of the People's National Party and the Jamaica Labour Party. After a rash of killings of lawyers and businessmen in 1974, the government of Michael Manley attempted to restore order by granting broad new law enforcement powers in the Suppression of Crime Act and the Gun Court Act. The Suppression of Crime Act allowed the police and the military to work together in a novel way to disarm
HIV/AIDS in Jamaica Although Jamaica has a well-established national surveillance system, collecting accurate data about at-risk groups is challenging. Despite some progress in reducing stigma and discrimination (S&D), homosexual behavior continues to be illegal in Jamaica, and many MSM hide their sexual orientation and behavior, impeding accurate health surveys. Recent program estimates indicate that 20 to 30 percent of MSM are HIV-positive. Jamaica also has a large number of mobile sex workers, both Jamaican and from outside Jamaica, who are difficult to monitor. HIV infection rates among sex workers are much higher than they are in the general population. A 2006 study of