Did Your Kid Commit a Crime? You Could Be Held Responsible
Photo: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images
In response to a series of violent robberies and attacks by teens in St. Louis during the past few months, police in the Missouri city have begun holding teenagers’ parents and guardians accountable.
The latest instance was reported Monday. Cops issued the relatives of four kids targeted on Saturday in an 11:30 p.m., drive-by shooting downtown summonses for “Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor.” Although their children were the victims, when officers questioned their parents, none had any idea where their kids were or what they had done that night, which is a violation of the city’s ordinance. (The teens, for their part, were within 30 minutes of violating the St. Louis curfew which mandates that juveniles can’t be on the streets without an adult after midnight on weekends and 11 p.m. on weekdays). If convicted, the teens’ guardians could face a fine of up to $500 and, or, up to 90 days in prison.
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“We just want the parents to be back in the loop, we don’t think that’s a lot to ask, we just really don’t,” St. Louis Police Capt. Daniel Howard told news station KSDK. “And so there are laws on the books that help us address that and we’re going to start using them. If you neglect your duties as a parent or a guardian, you allow these 13-year-olds to be running the streets and committing crimes then you’re going to have to answer to the judge.”
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Youth crime is serious — according to a report released by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), individuals ages 10 to 24 represented 40 percent of all arrests for violent crimes in 2012.
Michelle Boykins, spokesperson for The National Crime Prevention Council’s Teens, Crime and the Community program tells Yahoo Parenting that she applauds St. Louis for turning to parents to help effect change. “They’re probably using this as a wake-up call to parents to get more actively involved because you really do want parents, law enforcement, and the community working toward the same goal,” says Boykins. “When everyone works together, they can address safety and crime issues more effectively and quickly than any of the groups on their own.”
Placing part of the burden on parents to keep kids safe isn’t out of line, she adds. “It tough to be a parent and know where your kid is 24/7 especially as they’re getting older and you’re trying to let them have freedom to be out with their friends but also keep an eye on them,” says Boykins. “But law enforcement is looking to parents to set rules and hold teens accountable so they don’t have to. We all have a role in preventing crime in our community.”
Earlier this year, Chicago officials turned to parents, too. The city invoked the Illinois Parental Responsibility Law to recoup damages from child vandals. And in 2013, towns in Wisconsin, Texas, and Florida sought to hold parents responsible when their kids bullied others.
Moms’ and dads’ influence is, after all, a powerful force. Howard Spivak, MD, Director of the CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention, reveals that positive involvement results in proven success. “Parental monitoring of youth’s activities, strong parent-child connectedness, and good parent-child communication, can protect against the development of violent behavior, even when young people are exposed to violence in their communities,” he writes. “The risk of youth violence and other problem behaviors can be lowered by providing caregivers with support and knowledge about healthy child development, and by building caregivers’ skills related to strong communication, setting age-appropriate boundaries and rules, monitoring young people’s activities and relationships, and using consistent and nonviolent discipline.”
