pbs | Even though appearing to decrease somewhat recently, violence and crime have
reduced public safety in the United States to an unacceptable level. The rising
rates of juvenile violence and crime portend greater social problems in the
future.
The past focus on socioeconomic, racial, educational, and biological factors
that contribute to violence and crime has obscured the most important element -
parenting. The main source of these social problems is the cycle of child abuse
and neglect that results when parenting fails. Incompetent (defined in legal
terms as unfit) parenting is the most important factor in those adult outcomes.
Competent parenting protects even biologically vulnerable and socioeconomically
disadvantaged children from those outcomes.
Because of the high financial and social costs of dealing with adult and
juvenile violence and crime, in 1991 the National Commission on Children,
appointed by Congress and by the president, urged a change in focus to
preventive interventions during early life.
By far most children who live in poverty, who come from broken homes, who
receive welfare, who have been abused, or who have criminal relatives do not
become habitual criminals or welfare dependent. When any of these factors
converge with parental abuse and neglect, however, one of two or three of these
children is destined for criminality or welfare dependency. Some are
handicapped by brain damage resulting from maternal drug abuse and alcoholism
and inadequate prenatal care. All do not learn from their parents the values
and personal skills necessary for effective education and for productive
employment. These dangerous and dependent persons are increasing in numbers to
further drain public funds and to erode the productivity of our workforce.
