The study is based on an examination of crime statistics and interviews with several Government officials as well as with Jamaicans from all walks of life. By examining the dynamics of the development process, the researcher shows how attempts at modernization have ended in increasing dependence and worsening underdevelopment. As a consequence, Jamaica has undergone a process of 'ghettoization' exhibiting on a national scale the characteristics of local urban black ghettos in America. Just as in the American ghettos and in much of the Third World, the police and army in Jamaica have become an essential element in maintaining social control. The provisions of the Gun Court Law are examined, and the nature, source, and results of challenges to its constitutionality are reviewed, along with an evaluation of the declararation of a State of Emergency. Results of the Gun Court Law are compared with those of another harsh law, the New York State 1973 Drug Law. Also, changes in urban conditions on the island are linked with changes in types of crime and weapons used. Findings indicate that the Gun Court has failed; murders continue at the same level and a judicial challenge as to the law's constitutionality caused it to be suspended for 1 year. Violence on the island reflects the fierce struggle for survival by the Jamaican poor as the economy deteriorates, and not the signs of class struggle. Graphs, footnotes, tabular data, and over 25 references are supplied. (Author abstract modified)