Crime Rates Among Children—Is Single Parenting the Cause?

Parenting is a hard job that can be difficult with two parents in the home, let alone one.  Because of this awesome responsibility, much has been said about the possibility that raising kids minus a mother or father can lead to higher crime rates among children.While a compelling argument, something as complex as youth crime may not a solitary cause. A case in point would be the fact that most high profile crimes, like school shootings, involve kids from two parent households.   Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the Columbine killers, lived in fairly upscale neighborhoods and came from two parent homes.  A poll even indicated that 85 % of the public believed that the parents of the Columbine Murders were at fault for their children’s criminal behavior.  Victim’s families even filed civil suits against them for financial damages.  So, it would appear that crime rates among children may not be attributed solely to single parent's children, but can stem from any home at any given time.Single Parent StigmaWhile the case can be made that many crimes are committed by children from single homes, studies indicate that there has been a decline in youth crime even though single parenthood still exists. FBI crime statistics even indicate that violent juvenile crime stats are at their lowest point in twenty years.  It cannot be ignored that major crime rates among children occur across all demographics. This is especially true when it comes to school shooters, who tend to come from two parent homes.So, what are the common denominators?  One finds that in homes where there is attention, love and care, the child is well adjusted and happy.  Of course, a single parent may find it harder to give time and attention, especially when working two jobs to make ends meet.  On the other hand, if a double parent home is dysfunctional, abusive or devoid of love, it can produce a hostility that comes out in negatively as well.Dooming Kids to FailureThe assumption is that most kids from single a parent homes are products of divorce or an “epidemic” of teens who opt to live on welfare and do not have the skills to raise their children properly. A look at welfare statistics however, indicates that only 8% of the welfare dole is given out to teen parents.  This means that the epidemic we tend to hear so much about may be a little inflated.  In most cases, teens who have babies receive help from their extended families.  This also means that the child may have familial love and support from relatives who assist in child rearing duties.  Some children are raised by a single parent because of the death of their mother or father as well.  In other words, single parents may end up having to raise a kid alone due to situations beyond their control.  If we live in a society that automatically places single parent kids in the potentially bad apple category, we inadvertently start a self-fulfilling prophecy of crime rates among children in this group.  In this case, it won’t be from single parenting that these kids act out, but from their reaction to how society chooses to deal with such complex issues.  This should be enough to compel us to seek real solutions to an extremely complex problem and not place the blame solely on the shoulders of all single parents.