St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre says he will begin holding parents of juvenile offenders "accountable" for their children's crimes. That announcement comes after deputies arrested a 15-year-old boy for a shooting at the LaPlace Waffle House. According to one legal analyst, Sheriff Tregre is well within his rights to arrest the parents of teen criminals.
"The Louisiana Criminal Code provides for the crime of improper supervision of a minor by a parent if a parent, through criminal negligence or intentionally or knowingly allows the minor to violate a local or municipal curfew ordinance," Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino said. "That is a crime that is punishable by jail time that is rarely used by (district attorneys) across the state, but is certainly within their arsenals."
Ciolino says the law allows police departments and sheriff's offices to arrest parents of juveniles who break the law--curfew or otherwise. What's more: Ciolino says the law passes constitutional muster.
"Remember, the parents are being punished for his or her own criminal negligence or criminal intent or act that violates an ordinance," Ciolino said. "We see it in some high-profile situations, as we've seen in other states in the wake of school shootings. There have been some prosecutions in Louisiana for these types of violations."
Ciolino says he won't be surprised if Tregre and other authorities ramp up enforcement of this law.
"I think we're seeing more of these prosecutions both nationwide and in Louisiana, and I think we can expect to hear more about it going in the future."
Related
