Parenting And Hate Crimes
Bad Parenting and Hate Crimes Abstract
The effects of bad parenting cannot be patrolled by the federal government because of the freedoms afforded to American citizens in the constitution. Bad parents instill in their children a number of negative values and morals that influence how they treat others and their relationship with crime. There are many institutions afforded by the federal government like public schools, police departments and social service programs that aid children from troubled homes. More solutions to the problem of bad parenting and the discriminatory tradition they pass on to their children are needed and discussed. How society reacts to hate crimes committed by minors is further examined as well as the appropriate …show more content…
punishments for hate crimes committed by minors. The negative impacts of bad parenting and how parents have the autonomy to raise their children however they want is highlighted throughout.
Introduction
The United States constitution grants several civil liberties that are fundamental in ensuring our democracy prospers. Two of those most important civil liberties is found in the first amendment of the constitution. The freedom of speech and the freedom to exercise religion ensures that as American citizens, the right to say whatever you want and believe in whatever you want cannot be infringed upon by the federal or state governments. As an American citizen, you have the right to teach your children from the religious institution of your choosing. Also, as an American citizen, you have the right to teach your children how to communicate with others. American citizens have the right to raise their children however they want. Parents have the right to instill in their children whatever belief system they want. It is their right and no one can infringe upon that right regardless of how offensive and wrong their belief systems may be. That freedom is one of the main factors in the sustaining of racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. Americans have the right to be as offensive as humanly possible. What leads a parent to choose to be racist or sexist is not the focus of this paper. Given the hypothetical scenario, what this paper is focused on is how can children take what they have learned from their parents or other sources and commit hate crimes? Are hate crimes committed by minors serious infractions that must be punished accordingly? And what are the solutions that could deter minors from committing these types of crime?
The Negative Influence On Our Children
Child development is a complex issue that includes many factors of which family members can only control so much. Television, radio, newspaper, video games and the internet all influence the development of children to some degree. Parenting focuses on the factors pertaining mostly within the household. Most children will spend a substantial amount of time outside of their homes with friends, at school and a number of outdoor activities. Children absorb information from everything and everyone they come into contact with. That fact alone makes it impossible for a parent to protect their kids from negativity outside of their home. What parents can do to reduce the dangerous information that exists in our society is instill in their children morals and values that help them navigate what they learn outside of their home as it pertains to what they believe to be true (Bynum, Huebner, Ingram, McCluskey & Patchin 2007). Strong morals and values help filter negative information by allowing a person to dismiss all things that go against what they believe and focus on the positive information that reaffirms their belief system (Bynum, Huebner, Ingram, McCluskey & Patchin 2007). Parents are responsible for instilling in their children the communicational tools and learning techniques necessary to recognize and reject negative information they encounter whether it be from television, radio, newspaper, video games and especially the internet. Children can learn negative behaviors and information from outside of their homes but the majority of their morals and values are instilled at a young age by their parents and close relatives.
As stated previously, what parents teach their children cannot be infringed upon by the United States government. The United States government has a rich history of passing legislation that protects minority groups from discrimination. Unfortunately for society, those laws do not influence how some parents choose to teach their children hatred. The quality of a parent cannot be measured in any particular unit of data but bad parenting is easier to judge. Bad parenting leads to children learning negative behaviors and untrue stereotypes (Agnew, Cullen & Unnever, 2006). Bad parenting neglects educating children with factual evidence and kindness (Agnew, Cullen & Unnever, 2006). Immature, selfish and misguided parents are the reason there are children who commit all types of crimes including hate crimes (Agnew, Cullen & Unnever, 2006). Racism, sexism, homophobia, etc are passed down from generation to generation until a parent stands up and decides that they will no longer continue to teach hate to their children. Hate is an issue in the United States because parents continue to teach their children that it is …show more content…
acceptable.
Who Should Be Held Responsible
Minors who commit hate crimes should be held responsible with the utmost severity from the judicial system. It would be short sighted for the criminal justice system to not instill in minors the severity of hate crimes. Deterrence should be the goal when punishing minors who commit hate crimes (Curry, Grattet & Jenness, 1998). There is statistical evidence that proves "minors who commit hate crimes are more likely" to continue committing those types of crimes than minors who have no criminal background (Curry, Grattet & Jenness, 1998). The fact that minors are more likely to learn discriminatory behaviors from their parents should not influence their punishment. Parents should be held responsible but it is impossible to do so. It would be illegal to punish a parent for teaching their children discriminatory behaviors because it is their right to do so. It is illegal for a parent to encourage a minor to commit a hate crime but establishing intent from the parent would be very difficult. If a parent is teaching their children to act on their discriminatory behavior, chances are they are not above lying to a judge in family court. Bad parents are selfish people who rarely hold themselves accountable for their own actions let alone the actions of their children.
Solutions for Bad Parenting
The obvious solution to helping children from bad parenting is by "making as many resources available" to them as possible.
School is the "second most influential" place for children other than their home. The United States government passed the Civil Rights Act as one of many possible solutions to the problem of discrimination. "Integrating school systems allowed children from all types of households" to interact with people they may have never had the opportunity to meet if not for school (Babb, 1997-1998). School administrators have the responsibility to make their facilities as diverse as possible to allow children from all backgrounds to feel comfortable and stimulated. "Ignorance is the root of discrimination" and education is the only solution (Jennings, Jones, Loughran & Ray, 2013). School administrators have a large amount of options when it comes to diversity programs that helps children learn how to interact and respect the differences between them and everyone else. A particular school sanctioned resource that focuses on eliminating discrimination are multicultural programs. Sports, music and civic programs also help bring together children from all backgrounds and develop relationships with their
peers.
The United States government cannot pass legislation to end bad parenting but it can pass legislation that forces school districts to become more diverse. It is a sad fact that there are many states that have allowed their school districts to "continue to segregate on the basis of socioeconomic status" (Babb, 1997-1998). Issues such as charter schools and school vouchers that would encourage parents to pick where their children go to school have negative impacts on the diversity of school districts. Public education has to be a priority because the negative impact of failing schools hurt the economy, the criminal justice system and the job market. Choosing to ignore failing public schools is not a solution and exasperates the problem. Distributing money into public schools evenly throughout states can improve education and give students the opportunity to take advantage of resources their schools may have not otherwise been able to afford.
Conclusion
The hypothetical scenario referenced in the beginning of this paper followed a couple of minors who assaulted a man because of his likeliness to the minors ' perception of terrorists. The man assaulted is clearly not a terrorist and the police is called in to apprehend and question the minors and their parents. This hypothetical scenario is common throughout the United States. Following the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, crimes against Middle Easterners rose dramatically because of a rise in discrimination towards people who some thought resembled the terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center. From the facts given in the hypothetical scenario, it is clear this was a hate crime and could have been more severe if not for police intervention. I would suggest the two minors be punished as minors. The charge of hate crime is a federal felony but I do not think putting children in federal prison would help them understand why the crime they committed is wrong. The most effective punishment for this situation should be many hours of community service and many hours of diversity training from a trained professional. References
Agnew, Robert, Cullen, Francis T., Unnever, James D. (2006). Why Is "Bad" Parenting
Criminogenic? Implication From Rival Theories.Youth Violence And Juvenile Justice,
Vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 3-33.
Babb, Barbara A. (1997-1998). Fashioning An Interdisciplinary Framework For Court Reform
In Family Law: A Blueprint to Construct A Unified Family Court. 71 S. Cal. L. Rev. pp.
469-493.
Bynum, Timothy S., Huebner, Beth M., Ingram, Jason R., McCluskey, John D., Patchin, Justin W.
(2007). Parents, Friends, And Serious Delinquency: An Examination Of Direct And
Indirect Effects Among At-Risk Early Adolescents. Criminal Justice Review, Vol. 32, no.
4, pp. 380-400.
Curry, Theodore R., Grattet, Ryken, Jenness, Valerie. (1998). The Homogenization And
Differentiation Of Hate Crime Law In The United States, 1978 To 1995: Innovation And
Diffusion In The Criminalization Of Bigotry. American Sociological Review, Vol. 63. pp. 286-307.
Jennings, Wesley G., Jones, Shayne, Loughran, Thomas A., Ray, James V. (2013). Testing The
Stability Of Self-Control: Identifying Unique Developmental Patterns And Associated
Risk Factors. Criminal Justice And Behavior, Vol. 40, no. 6, pp. 588-607.
The effects of bad parenting cannot be patrolled by the federal government because of the freedoms afforded to American citizens in the constitution. Bad parents instill in their children a number of negative values and morals that influence how they treat others and their relationship with crime. There are many institutions afforded by the federal government like public schools, police departments and social service programs that aid children from troubled homes. More solutions to the problem of bad parenting and the discriminatory tradition they pass on to their children are needed and discussed. How society reacts to hate crimes committed by minors is further examined as well as the appropriate …show more content…
punishments for hate crimes committed by minors. The negative impacts of bad parenting and how parents have the autonomy to raise their children however they want is highlighted throughout.
Introduction
The United States constitution grants several civil liberties that are fundamental in ensuring our democracy prospers. Two of those most important civil liberties is found in the first amendment of the constitution. The freedom of speech and the freedom to exercise religion ensures that as American citizens, the right to say whatever you want and believe in whatever you want cannot be infringed upon by the federal or state governments. As an American citizen, you have the right to teach your children from the religious institution of your choosing. Also, as an American citizen, you have the right to teach your children how to communicate with others. American citizens have the right to raise their children however they want. Parents have the right to instill in their children whatever belief system they want. It is their right and no one can infringe upon that right regardless of how offensive and wrong their belief systems may be. That freedom is one of the main factors in the sustaining of racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. Americans have the right to be as offensive as humanly possible. What leads a parent to choose to be racist or sexist is not the focus of this paper. Given the hypothetical scenario, what this paper is focused on is how can children take what they have learned from their parents or other sources and commit hate crimes? Are hate crimes committed by minors serious infractions that must be punished accordingly? And what are the solutions that could deter minors from committing these types of crime?
The Negative Influence On Our Children
Child development is a complex issue that includes many factors of which family members can only control so much. Television, radio, newspaper, video games and the internet all influence the development of children to some degree. Parenting focuses on the factors pertaining mostly within the household. Most children will spend a substantial amount of time outside of their homes with friends, at school and a number of outdoor activities. Children absorb information from everything and everyone they come into contact with. That fact alone makes it impossible for a parent to protect their kids from negativity outside of their home. What parents can do to reduce the dangerous information that exists in our society is instill in their children morals and values that help them navigate what they learn outside of their home as it pertains to what they believe to be true (Bynum, Huebner, Ingram, McCluskey & Patchin 2007). Strong morals and values help filter negative information by allowing a person to dismiss all things that go against what they believe and focus on the positive information that reaffirms their belief system (Bynum, Huebner, Ingram, McCluskey & Patchin 2007). Parents are responsible for instilling in their children the communicational tools and learning techniques necessary to recognize and reject negative information they encounter whether it be from television, radio, newspaper, video games and especially the internet. Children can learn negative behaviors and information from outside of their homes but the majority of their morals and values are instilled at a young age by their parents and close relatives.
As stated previously, what parents teach their children cannot be infringed upon by the United States government. The United States government has a rich history of passing legislation that protects minority groups from discrimination. Unfortunately for society, those laws do not influence how some parents choose to teach their children hatred. The quality of a parent cannot be measured in any particular unit of data but bad parenting is easier to judge. Bad parenting leads to children learning negative behaviors and untrue stereotypes (Agnew, Cullen & Unnever, 2006). Bad parenting neglects educating children with factual evidence and kindness (Agnew, Cullen & Unnever, 2006). Immature, selfish and misguided parents are the reason there are children who commit all types of crimes including hate crimes (Agnew, Cullen & Unnever, 2006). Racism, sexism, homophobia, etc are passed down from generation to generation until a parent stands up and decides that they will no longer continue to teach hate to their children. Hate is an issue in the United States because parents continue to teach their children that it is …show more content…
acceptable.
Who Should Be Held Responsible
Minors who commit hate crimes should be held responsible with the utmost severity from the judicial system. It would be short sighted for the criminal justice system to not instill in minors the severity of hate crimes. Deterrence should be the goal when punishing minors who commit hate crimes (Curry, Grattet & Jenness, 1998). There is statistical evidence that proves "minors who commit hate crimes are more likely" to continue committing those types of crimes than minors who have no criminal background (Curry, Grattet & Jenness, 1998). The fact that minors are more likely to learn discriminatory behaviors from their parents should not influence their punishment. Parents should be held responsible but it is impossible to do so. It would be illegal to punish a parent for teaching their children discriminatory behaviors because it is their right to do so. It is illegal for a parent to encourage a minor to commit a hate crime but establishing intent from the parent would be very difficult. If a parent is teaching their children to act on their discriminatory behavior, chances are they are not above lying to a judge in family court. Bad parents are selfish people who rarely hold themselves accountable for their own actions let alone the actions of their children.
Solutions for Bad Parenting
The obvious solution to helping children from bad parenting is by "making as many resources available" to them as possible.
School is the "second most influential" place for children other than their home. The United States government passed the Civil Rights Act as one of many possible solutions to the problem of discrimination. "Integrating school systems allowed children from all types of households" to interact with people they may have never had the opportunity to meet if not for school (Babb, 1997-1998). School administrators have the responsibility to make their facilities as diverse as possible to allow children from all backgrounds to feel comfortable and stimulated. "Ignorance is the root of discrimination" and education is the only solution (Jennings, Jones, Loughran & Ray, 2013). School administrators have a large amount of options when it comes to diversity programs that helps children learn how to interact and respect the differences between them and everyone else. A particular school sanctioned resource that focuses on eliminating discrimination are multicultural programs. Sports, music and civic programs also help bring together children from all backgrounds and develop relationships with their
peers.
The United States government cannot pass legislation to end bad parenting but it can pass legislation that forces school districts to become more diverse. It is a sad fact that there are many states that have allowed their school districts to "continue to segregate on the basis of socioeconomic status" (Babb, 1997-1998). Issues such as charter schools and school vouchers that would encourage parents to pick where their children go to school have negative impacts on the diversity of school districts. Public education has to be a priority because the negative impact of failing schools hurt the economy, the criminal justice system and the job market. Choosing to ignore failing public schools is not a solution and exasperates the problem. Distributing money into public schools evenly throughout states can improve education and give students the opportunity to take advantage of resources their schools may have not otherwise been able to afford.
Conclusion
The hypothetical scenario referenced in the beginning of this paper followed a couple of minors who assaulted a man because of his likeliness to the minors ' perception of terrorists. The man assaulted is clearly not a terrorist and the police is called in to apprehend and question the minors and their parents. This hypothetical scenario is common throughout the United States. Following the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, crimes against Middle Easterners rose dramatically because of a rise in discrimination towards people who some thought resembled the terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center. From the facts given in the hypothetical scenario, it is clear this was a hate crime and could have been more severe if not for police intervention. I would suggest the two minors be punished as minors. The charge of hate crime is a federal felony but I do not think putting children in federal prison would help them understand why the crime they committed is wrong. The most effective punishment for this situation should be many hours of community service and many hours of diversity training from a trained professional. References
Agnew, Robert, Cullen, Francis T., Unnever, James D. (2006). Why Is "Bad" Parenting
Criminogenic? Implication From Rival Theories.Youth Violence And Juvenile Justice,
Vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 3-33.
Babb, Barbara A. (1997-1998). Fashioning An Interdisciplinary Framework For Court Reform
In Family Law: A Blueprint to Construct A Unified Family Court. 71 S. Cal. L. Rev. pp.
469-493.
Bynum, Timothy S., Huebner, Beth M., Ingram, Jason R., McCluskey, John D., Patchin, Justin W.
(2007). Parents, Friends, And Serious Delinquency: An Examination Of Direct And
Indirect Effects Among At-Risk Early Adolescents. Criminal Justice Review, Vol. 32, no.
4, pp. 380-400.
Curry, Theodore R., Grattet, Ryken, Jenness, Valerie. (1998). The Homogenization And
Differentiation Of Hate Crime Law In The United States, 1978 To 1995: Innovation And
Diffusion In The Criminalization Of Bigotry. American Sociological Review, Vol. 63. pp. 286-307.
Jennings, Wesley G., Jones, Shayne, Loughran, Thomas A., Ray, James V. (2013). Testing The
Stability Of Self-Control: Identifying Unique Developmental Patterns And Associated
Risk Factors. Criminal Justice And Behavior, Vol. 40, no. 6, pp. 588-607.