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* News Channel 9 in July…
Repeat juvenile offenders in Tennessee are now no longer the only ones who could find themselves in legal hot water.
A law now in effect in Tennessee aims to also punish their parents.
The Parental Accountability Act took effect July 1st.
It fines parents whose children are found delinquent by a court more than twice up to $1,000.
[Republican Rep. John Gillespie] says the fines will start at $250 dollars for a misdemeanor, $500 for a felony act, and can go up to $1,000 if a judge decides it’s warranted. The law also offers the option for the parent to do community service.
More on the Tennessee law is here if you’re interested.
* Governor Pritzker was asked at a news event yesterday if he’d consider signing any legislation that would target parents of repeat juvenile offenders…
Reporter: We saw an uptick in juvenile arrests last year in Peoria, and it’s been mentioned by our police chief that a lot of those kids are repeat offenders. And it’s been pondered by some on the City Council if it would be realistic to see legislation out of Springfield that could possibly hold parents accountable for children who are repeat offenders in the crime system.
Is that something you would view as reasonable or realistic if the General Assembly would put something like that on your desk?
Governor Pritzker: Look, parents absolutely have responsibility to raise their kids as best they can in the circumstances that they’re in, but you’ve got to recognize that there are a lot of circumstances that are traumatic and can be challenges that parents face and it’s very difficult for a parent to overcome some of those circumstances all on their own.
So the idea they we are going to hold them criminally liable, which is what I think is the suggestion you’re putting forward, doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Obviously, there are unusual circumstances they might be taking into account but it would be hyper-unusual from my perspective.
What we really need to do is to give parents the resources that they need so that they can help their kids get through these challenging circumstances. They come up in traumatic, you know, communities, or communities that cause trauma for their children, and then there’s nothing for them to do with their children to try to overcome those circumstances.
So we need to elevate sometimes in the early childhood world we call it Two-gen solutions. These are two generation solutions. You can’t just address this with the child, but [you need to address it with] the child and their parent or whoever their caregivers are. So I would suggest that we need to provide more support and it’s less about policing than it is about helping parents do their best. Because every parent I think wants the best for their child and so if we can help them get that I think we’d all be better off.
Thoughts?
posted by Isabel Miller
Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 9:50 am
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JB is right.
Comment by NewToSpringfield Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 10:05 am
JB nailed it. Lack of family support is just one of many risk factors associated with youth involvement in the legal system. Other contributors include exposure to community violence, child poverty, and generational cycles of incarceration in families initiated by the so-called war on drugs.
Comment by Politix Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 10:10 am
Pritzker:
Illinois may be the best governor in the union.
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 10:14 am
Along those lines, an article about teaching citizenship to kids.
How one preschool uses PAW Patrol to teach democracy.
https://apnews.com/article/preschool-voting-democracy-education-paw-patrol-adccecd533294838bbb2cb08fcd41258
Back in 2017, wrote a prescription for america for a list of citizenship items that schools need to be doing.
Comment by sal-says Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 10:15 am
I’m not a real big fan of punishing parents for the actions of their kids unless there its crystal clear that a parent was negligent in something. The fact that a kid does something doesn’t automatically mean that there was a failure by the parents.
Comment by Demoralized Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 10:19 am
I believe the Tennessee law makes it possible for the parent or guardian to be responsible for the the fine up to $1,000.00, not the crime. So the answer our Governor gave seems to be made to an interpretation of the question asking him if he favored legislation holding the parent or guardian criminally liable. We already have a Parental Responsibility Act.(740 ILCS 115/3) (from Ch. 70, par. 53)
Comment by DEE Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 10:20 am
Interesting to note that the current Democratic presidential nominee used the justice system in California as district attorney & Attorney General to hold parents accountable when their children were found chronically truant. It is just interesting to consider in this context.
Comment by Incandenza Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 10:33 am
We already are holding parents responsible in certain shootings done by a child so why would wouldn’t this be one part of an accountability process? Certainly it should take into account the specific circumstances.
Comment by Center Drift Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 10:33 am
I’m someone who generally pushes for far, far more criminal enforcement. I think I would sentence anyone who points a gun at someone and pulls the trigger without legal justification to 20+ years in prison. With that said, though, I think it’s unconstitutional–or at least it should be–to hold someone criminally liable for something they didn’t do or help orchestrate.
Comment by Garfield Ridge Guy Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 10:34 am
If parents are struggling now with handling the responsibilities, and Tennessee, I’m sure, is not as strong as Illinois with support systems, you’ll just increase the cycle downward.
Holding parents “accountable” through criminal charges is unrealistic and worsens a difficult home situation.
Investing in opportunities for afterschool programs, anti-gang and drug initiatives, and workforce enhancement programs would be a better course of action.
Comment by Frida's Boss Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 10:49 am
Agree with JB. Also, there are currently laws on the books to charge adults with criminal neglect/association to a crime. No need to duplicate the matter.
Comment by Central IL Centrist Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 10:50 am
Right up there with punishing homelessness with tickets and jail time. This doesn’t solve any problems, it just makes lives worse for the people who are likely already dealing with various other problems (poverty, rough home lives, high crime neighborhoods, etc.)
The people who push these bills are one of three things: (1) completely daft and actually believe their talking that these are just moral failings that people need to be punished for to change their behavior, (2) are trying to drive the targets out of their districts, or (3) are just bad people who get off on cruelty.
But literally no one pushing these sorts of bills is actually trying to solve the problem.
Comment by Homebody Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 10:57 am
Pritzker experienced some tough times growing up. His sympathy for others who are struggling in terms of family dynamics is natural. He has been there.
I do not see much benefit in enacting new laws to punish parents for their kids acting badly. There are already sufficient laws on the books.
Comment by Gravitas Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 11:01 am
Peoria’s local government has been pushing many counterproductive ideas regarding youth, some prima facie unconstitutional. It would be nice if it stopped doing that.
Comment by Stephanie Kollmann Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 11:19 am
A lot of the bad ideas do come specifically from one 74yo council member who is running for mayor on a platform of cracking down on kids.
Comment by Stephanie Kollmann Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 11:29 am
==Holding parents “accountable” through criminal charges is unrealistic and worsens a difficult home situation.==
Maybe, but it’s a simplistic response for the MAGA party to spread on FOX News. Sure beats thinking about an issue.
Comment by don the legend Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 11:37 am
I’m all for prosecuting parents that recklessly leave access to guns and drugs to their kids, causing the death and maiming of others, but it seems to me that making parents criminally liable for jailtime and fines for more petty offenses would only result in an increase of crime given the reduced lack of attention and resources at home that parents would be able to give kids. Being locked up or having less money, and all.
Feels like a move that you push for to appear like you’re tough on crime rather than actually trying to fix an issue.
Comment by TJ Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 11:44 am
A juvenile felony charge should at least require a visit by DCFS to the legal guardian.
Comment by Chicagonk Friday, Oct 4, 24 @ 12:00 pm