Government has agreed to a proposal for a study on the state and status of young Bermudian black men, Premier Alex Scott announced yesterday.

Sociologist Roy Wright has been called out of retirement to conduct the study, proposed to Government by the Committee on Black Men (Government backbencher Wayne Perinchief, Government Senator Walter Roban and political activist Rolffe Commissiong), the Premier told the media at a Press conference yesterday.

And why focus on that particular demographic? ?I can only offer you a startling statistic to demonstrate the importance of this work,? the Premier said. ?The 2000 Census revealed that 94 percent of prisoners were male and 92 percent were black.

?Clearly this is not because of a genetic predisposition to criminality. We need to find out what created this situation and what we can do about it.?

However it is important to remember that there are many successful Bermudian black men in the country, Sen. Roban pointed out. ?I?m sure the study won?t leave out the important reference to the successes.?

Whether young Bermudian black men want the study to be done or not, it is incumbent on Government to conduct it, Prof. Wright said ? particularly in the face of rising violent crime. ?Government cannot just sit by.?

Though Prof. Wright will be working independently, his work will be done in conjunction with the Sustainable Development Project, ensuring that recommendations from Prof. Wright?s report are immediately fed into the action plan being developed by the team. ?This will ensure that it receives immediate attention and resources,? Mr. Scott explained. The sociologist and former Queen?s University professor will focus on history, socialisation, families and the community, education, economic status and opportunities, criminalisation and victimisation. Examining core problems versus their symptoms, he plans to consult with entities such as the Police on drugs and gangs ? and, of course, speak to those at the heart of the study, young Bermudian black men through an organised focus group and informal interviews.

The study will be comparative, he said, examining Bermudian black men from ages of 16-40 with Bermudian black women and Bermudian white men.

Mr. Commissiong and Sen. Roban were happy that Government had taken up the proposal. ?We can?t squander these resources,? Mr. Commissiong said. ?We have dropped the ball over the years.?

The study is expected to last about three months but could take longer.