Vigilante justice is not new to Jamaica, but recent public support for citizens to take action against alleged offenders outside the justice system has raised troublesome questions about the formal criminal justice system of the island. This article discusses the contribution of both informal and formal social control systems and the need to establish a balance for effective crime control. Jamaica is a very poor country that looks toward the developed and wealthier nations for solutions to its many problems, including crime control. The Jamaican crime plan includes hiring more police, redeploying soldiers to search incoming containers and luggage, establishing a center to investigate organized crime, and building additional prisons. It is unlikely that these solutions will work in less-developed countries such as Jamaica, because they fail to address the real causes of crime: poverty, inequity, unemployment, lack of education, and poor health care. The country would do better to approach crime control from a social justice perspective. Tables, notes