It was discouraging to hear a recent report during a city council meeting concerning the rise of juvenile crimes, particularly with gun-related violence. It is not only a serious threat within our own community but within the nation as well.
But the blame cannot be placed upon one party to determine who is responsible for local juveniles who turn to a life of crime within our community. Parents, schools, government agencies and the community as a whole are all responsible to a degree for youth crimes. Instead of shifting blame, it is our responsibility as a whole community to collaborate on fighting the problem.
It is imperative that we do what we can as citizens to not push our local youth down a path of destruction. Pushing aside social and ethnic differences is a start. If a child does not trust his or her own community, it doesn’t take long for that child to develop a feeling of inferiority, perhaps pushing him or her closer to rebellion. As a community, we need to appreciate our children for who they are, accepting differences perhaps, but refrain from being judgemental. A healthy start would be supporting youth-based programs that are geared towards support and activities for our local youth. Faith-based opportunities to mentor can make a difference. Using our local parks and recreation program to promote athletic opportunities is another great way to get our children to hold a football or baseball versus a gun or other weapon.
Those are a few ways as a community that we can begin to tackle juvenile delinquency. Police Chief Joey Head has suggested that officers interact with our local youth during their routine patrols or other situations that put them on the streets with the general public. This community-minded policing could be another possibility to deter youth-related crimes. When a child sees an officer as a friend or neighbor, it removes the idea to a child that an officer is the enemy. With trust comes respect, and respect amongst our citizens should be the ultimate goal.
But the core of directing our children into healthy and safe paths starts in the home. A parent or guardian holds that weight of responsibility more than any other factor within our town. Unfortunately, we understand that those caring and supportive relationships are not found in every home, and we understand that a hundred percent mark may never be reached. One trend that we heard in a recent crime report was that parents or guardians are either completely unaware of their children’s behavior or, sadly, just don’t care.
In some municipalities and even states, parents can be held responsible for the actions of their children. And sometimes, criminal sanctions follow as well. In Yazoo City, Alderman Ron Johnson suggested holding the parents more responsible through enhanced legal measures, even increasing fine amounts to get their attention.
It is an idea that should be considered and researched. As a community, we cannot say juvenile crime is someone else’s problem. It is our problem, and it cannot be overlooked. Our future depends on it.
