The idea of arresting and putting parents in jail for the crimes their kids commit seems harsh and radical, but it could be a solution to a problem that has long demanded an answer.
Following the arrest of a 15-year-old boy for a shooting at the Waffle House in Laplace, St. John The Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre started the conversation about arresting and jailing the parents of juveniles for the crimes they commit. It is constitutional to hold parents accountable for their children’s criminal behavior so why aren’t more parents arrested?
If a child under 18 commits a crime and a parent were arrested, there would be an investigation and a trial. The investigation and trial may indicate that some parents should not be arrested, but there will be cases where total parental neglect was obvious and the criminal behavior of the child was the direct result of a parent failing to do their job. And in the case where a child gets their hands on their parent’s gun, that should lead to automatic jail time for the parent.
No one has to have children. Children result from the pleasurable act of sex. No one has to have sex, but we know people will. The problem is that too many young people have not been taught the basics of sex and pregnancy. If young people knew the basics, which we assume the parents know about, then maybe they would be less likely to bring children into the world that they have no intention of raising.
The cycle of children having children as a result of having sex needs to end. While the abortion rate is down and while studies show that fewer teens are having sex, there is still a significant number of teenagers having sex, getting pregnant, and having no idea how to raise a child.
It is EVERY parent’s responsibility, younger or older, to parent a child and teach that child the difference between right and wrong and to establish a relationship between negative behavior and consequences. No parent can start parenting their child when he or she is 13, 14, or 15. Parenting a child begins the moment a child is born and continues through the life of that child. If jail time was a consequence of reckless sex, maybe we would begin to see more young people think twice about just having sex.
The idea of sending parents to jail for the crimes of their kids is harsh, but it is constitutional and it’s time to start getting tough with parents, even young parents, who have children with no intent to raise them.
But the issue is complicated. I had a great conversation with a caller - Emily - who has a daughter who is a single mother of 4 children. Emily presents the real-world dilemma many face. Have a listen in the audio player above.
