Law on Parental Responsibility

Ramona Ripston’s commentary “No Parent Is Safe From Headline Justice” (Op-Ed Page, June 21) presented a very misleading picture of the Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act, the new state law which makes parents responsible for the criminal behavior of their children.

The purpose of this law isn’t to drag parents into the public spotlight as Ms. Ripston suggested. It isn’t a forum for reckless law enforcement officials to intrude into the lives of innocent families. And the suggestion that it is just a mechanism for “Headline Justice” ignores the years of work spent to develop this law and the guidelines for its implementation.

No. This is a serious, and potentially effective law to help combat the plague of gang violence that terrorizes our communities.

Clearly, one essential component necessary to eradicate gang activity is parental control over children’s behavior. In those cases where parents either don’t know that their kids are gang members, or are aware of the problem but feel helpless to correct it, we must provide voluntary education and counseling programs to better enable them to rear their children in what we know is a very difficult environment. I advocated and the City Council supported increased funding for parent empowerment programs.

However, in those situations where parents fail to provide proper guidance for their children, make no effort to prevent their kids from criminal gang activity, and refuse to participate in voluntary programs to improve the situation, additional action is warranted. The Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act is a necessary tool to compel these parents to participate in programs to improve their parenting skills.

Before any parents are prosecuted under this law, they are offered the opportunity for counseling as an alternative. It is only when parents have clearly not demonstrated the capacity or willingness to control their criminal children, and they refuse counseling, that they are referred for prosecution.

Parents of street hoodlums should not be allowed to divorce themselves from responsibility for their minor children who terrorize our communities.

We must help them with their difficult task, but if they won’t take the help, unfortunately, we have to rely on our judicial system to ensure that they participate in corrective programs.

GLORIA MOLINA

Los Angeles City Council