Parents of kids who commit crimes in Tennessee will face fines up to $1,000 for each offense after the first one, under a bill that’s headed to Gov. Bill Lee’s Bill Lee
After a juvenile’s first offense, juvenile court is required to fine their parents for each subsequent crime, according to the bill’s language. If parents can’t afford the fine, they will be able to work it off through community service.
But most agree that Memphis and Shelby County are feeling the effects of juvenile crime. In 2023, Memphis Police told the City Council that officers had arrested more than 4,000 juveniles, including more than 500 for motor vehicle theft.
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said Tuesday that the county’s juvenile facility is nearing capacity, with 118 juvenile offenders held there. The youngest was 13 years old.
Here’s the thing. You’re sometimes right. There’s definitely negligent parenting that leads to juvenile crime. There’s also circumstances outside of the parent’s control… The community, the schools, the other children they interact with outside of the home, any mental illness or problems the child might have.
The common theory here is that the parent should be more involved. But two things:
Children NEED some level of freedom. I’m so fucking sick and tired of the people who believe children should be monitored at all times. When you see it in practice, you immediately recognize it as a problem. Those children are stunted socially, emotionally, and in terms of their abilities. A parent who can 100% ensure their child does no wrong is 100% ensuring their child becomes a neurotic or entitled mess.
Available time and resources are not split evenly. Before someone says, “but someone who can’t raise a child shouldn’t have had a child” please keep in mind that peoples circumstances change. Ignoring the whole abortion debate, access to birth control, etc, a person who has a child with a loving partner with plenty of money can end up destitute and alone and still have that child. A person who has a support network of siblings and parents can lose them. A person with a reasonable amount of money for having kids can be financially overwhelmed caring for a child that has unexpected difficulties in life.
Yeah, there’s shit parents in the world. But the law is a hammer that lacks the ability to discern a terrible parent from one who is just unlucky. It’s not the right tool for this job.