There’s a growing trend to hold parents accountable for their children’s behavior. This is epitomized in New Jersey, where the state’s lower legislative chamber considers bill A4651 (it is expected to be taken up by the Senate this fall). The bill establishes parental penalties for brawling and disorderly conduct committed by their delinquent offspring if the parent or legal guardian “demonstrated willful or wanton disregard in the exercise of the supervision and control of the conduct of the juvenile…” (among other things). Potentially, the penalties could include a fine if the miscreant behavior results in property damage, or jail time for inciting violence.
Though well-intentioned, one wonders if a fine or jail time will have unintended consequences. Many of the delinquent thugs are trapped in single-parent households that are already destitute. It’s entirely proper to hold parents accountable, but the redemptive process should focus on community service for the brawling brats, rather than impoverish their families further with fines or removing the breadwinner from society. Single-parent poverty is already a scourge on society — why exacerbate it other than for pandering political expediency?
Besides, how, and upon whom, would the fines be imposed? In New Jersey the percentage of households with single parents is at least 18% as of 2022 (and much higher in other states that also consider parental responsibility legislation). Indeed, the U.S. has a very high rate of children in single-parent households — there are about 18 million fatherless children in the U.S. Another telling statistic is that mothers maintain about 80% of single-parent family groups.
Sure, some of them may be “welfare queens,” but many are struggling earnestly to raise their children. If — IF — that’s the case, it would be extremely austere to fine them for a kid who is subjected to peer pressure while they work two jobs. Peer pressure that may be more directly responsible for juvenile misbehavior that nebulous “willful and wanton disregard” by overburdened mothers working their fingers to the bone (again, presuming that’s the case).
The parent(s) of a juvenile charged with offenses covered by New Jersey’s A4651 (e.g. public brawling) should solely be remanded to the local community/social services agency, not the jailer. Perhaps that will include helping to build detention centers for illegal aliens, scrubbing graffiti, cleaning animal shelters or homeless camps, or ensuring “tree equity” by planting more of them in their asphalt jungle. Special dispensation could be afforded to parents who legitimately work multiple jobs to make a living.
It is said that idle hands do the devil’s work. Another option to prevent devilish delinquency is to coerce the teetering child into an after-school activity, a period when parents are less likely to be available but when juvenile crime peaks.
Actually, it should be compulsory for school grade-advancement (and, eventually, graduation) for previously charged delinquents — it is proven to reduce crime. If the delinquent is truant, then by all means impose a fine — upon the absentee parent (if applicable).
The parental accountability impetus is justified. Additionally, thinking beyond the immediate impulse to punish negligent parents, it may be constructive to consider dis-incentives for single parenthood (raising a well-adjusted child is challenging enough for two committed parents). Certainly, no absentee parent (usually the father) should benefit from a Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, or any state-specific subsidies, for example.
Image from Grok.