I was surprised to see you were from California. Loon.

Good parenting requires both a mother and a father. How many of these children come from single parent families? The rise of single parent families has also seen the rise in a number of social ills (statistically speaking), whether you agree or not.

one can not legislate moral parenting.

Yes gangs are bad, and the parents who let their kids get into gangs are bad as well. But none of this is a good reason to waste tax money teaching the unteachable.

What happens when the Parents show up flying their gang colors at the meetings? These CA gangs go through the generations and are passed on like a legacy. Spend the money on the legal system where they will end up anyway.

Accountability should rest with the kids, their families and their neighbors. It takes the education of entire communities to eke out change. I know people are saying this is a waste of taxpayer money, but we cannot give up on these kids and the communities they learn from, because the cycle will just continue if we do. However, education should ideally begin early, before the problems begin. Numerous encounters with the law, and legal consequences, are just a way of life for these people, so maybe a new approach will be beneficial. In addition, families that do want to break the cycle of gang affiliation will find it very hard since gang membership is for life. Classes should be provided on how to deal with the inevitable attempted murders these kids will face if it is learned they have defected.

People; this action may not be a total (or perfect) solution to gangs and gang violence, but at least it's a start. How many folks get in these threads and whine about authorities not doing anything about anything, yet, when they attempt to do something, the same folks berate them for it. If you don't like their plan, don't just dismiss it out of hand, by all means come up with something better (yes, I'm including myself, I wish could devise something foolproof). Rational people want safe communities and citizens who are productive members of society, and an effort is being made to counteract negative distructive behavior in the endeavor to accomplish that goal. Appreciate it.

I agree that two parents are better. However, I don't think that one parent cannot do the job. I am the oldest of three children my father was killed in a car accident when I was six and the youngest sibling was only a few weeks old. My mother raised us all by herself. She made us her number one priority. There was an abundance of non-negotiable rules. She hardly dated. There has never been a man stay all night. She didn't go out. She was a mother!

She finished college and worked her schedule around ours. We were never left unsupervised. Ever! We had neighbors who would watch us if were needed and she would watch their children as well. I think that parents that are truly concerned, should try this method. Surely, there is at least one other parent in your neighborhood that is as concernedabout their children as you are. Get together and watch each other's children so you don't have that ridiculous excuse of not knowing where your children are.

My mother is a D.A and both my brother and sister got speeding tickets as teenagers. She made sure that their punishment was worse than any other speeding offenders in court that day. That was her way! We were raised to take our consequences for our actions.

I raise my children the same way. My word is law. They have no privacy because they have no possessions. They live in my house and I have paid for everything they own. I go through book bags and read notes and they are punished about anything I find that I don't like. I go through emails, texts and phone records. I am sick of hearing parents saying they don't want to invade their child's privacy. What sh!t! Perhaps if they took the initiative to see what their children were doing in private, they would not end up with a child in a gang!

My brother, sister and I never once doubted our mother's love. I hope that I am doing a half as good of job as she did. My children in kind know I love them. I have asked them if they think that I have ever asked anything of them that is unreasonable and even when they are not happy with me about something I won't let them do, they will admit that I don't.

God knows that you can raise two children alike and one could be a doctor and the other a crack head. However, they need rules, guidance and enforced consequences for their actions their entire life. Once they are already in the system, it's an up hill battle if not too late.

Quite true NCGirl1. Single parents are quite capable. Two parents certainly make the job easier, but that's no guarantee to a positive outcome. I'm sorry to hear that your father died when you were so young. I'm sure it made things much harder on your family and that you've missed him very much. Unfortunately, some parents choose not to be part of their kids lives whether they are married or divorced. No matter that situation, parents should put their kids first. If we saw more of that, gangs would be unnecessary. I'm glad your family put your family first. Hats off to your mom.

Thanks, jmom. However, terrible it is that my dad died, he wasn't right when he returned from Vietnam. He was violent and abusive to my mother as well as an alcoholic. It's a terrible thing to say that my family and I are probably better off. However, it is true.

You are also right that there are a lot of parents that choose not to stick around and the child is the one that suffers from it. However, in a lot of ways they are probably better off. If they don't care enough to stick around for their kid, what kind of parent or influence are they going to be? In my experience, not a positive one. Although, we as parent's would have a hard time explaining that to our children. They aren't going to see that they are better off until they are grown or perhaps never. But, there are worse things than not having one parent, or both around. Ask all of the abused, neglected and voilated children and adults that had one or even both parents around. That possibly could be the reason some end up in gangs. They are possibly treated better there than they are at home. It always starts at home.

Sending the parents to these classes is largely a waste of time since what really needs to be done is to send their gangbanger offspring to prison, or the cemetary.

Thanks to you NCGirl1. I hadn't thought that perhaps my own son has been better off with his dad's limited attention (by my ex's own choice) than the alternative. My son only deals with the heartache of his dad's choices and there's nothing that can be changed about that. I'm glad he doesn' have to deal with the things your family endured. And you are absolutely right, things could be far worse. My son is happy, healthy, very open with me, and has the love and support of mom and extended family.
Children often seek elsewhere what they do not receive at home...or seek more positive influence attention to get away from the negative. It's hard to see that a gang fills that void for some of these kids.

First of all these classes might be more beneficial if the kids attended with the parents, maybe seeing each others reactions and hearing each others opinions in a controlled setting could make a difference. Unfortunately once in a gang it is often very difficult to get out without risking your own life as well as the lives of those that love you. I feel that all gang crimes should be punished but I don't think that jail time is necessarily a good idea in some cases (ie. non violent crimes) because being on the inside (in jail) can make gang ties stronger and make the need to belong that much more important for protection both on the inside and the outside for the members and their families. Gangs hit close to home you betray your "family" and they will hurt you in any means possible, and in the end the sacrifice may be your life and the lives of those who you care for.

I think early intervention would be a better solution to the problem then waiting until it may be too late. Anybody can have a child but not just anybody has the ability to care for and raise a child. Make all parents take parenting classes. As soon as a women is pregnant make her and the baby's father attend classes. Make them scared. Let them know that there are predators (pedophiles, rapists, gangs, drug dealers, etc) on every corner looking for their child as their next victims at any age. let them know of the responsibilities, the risks, the challenges, etc. in advance. Give them the opportunity to "opt out" as a parent through abortion or adoption and makle them smart enough not to try again. And not just classes for the poor and impoverished but for everyone, classes everytime you have a child. Why wait for something to go wrong before you hold the parents accountable for their parenting skills, educate them before they become parents. Show them these things before they bring their child into the world.

Exactly

- and as soon as a parent puts a foot down and either spanks, or disciplines "too harshly", the child calls local law enforcement or some other out-of-control government agency, and they haul that parent right down to court or some other equally scary place to give an account for their actions. Parents absolutely cannot win.

They've beaten The Family - Only a fool would have children now.

so right Misty, and most kids that break bad do so in Jr. High; 6th, 7th & 8th grade; if you catch them then, you can turn them around, by high school they're gone.

Mr. Miller most kids are still great human beings that want to live agood life, contribute and be proud; being raised by loving parents that are willing to make the sacrifices needed to create a healthy, nurturing childhood for their kids. I would say the biggest obstacle we face is the government wanting to take what little extra we have and would like to give to our children, to provide a secure future for them and give it to those who just don't care.

Most of these kids are a product of their enviorment and that is what needs to be changed.

Growing up, I hung out with the "bad" crowd. Or I at least tried to when I could.

I had "lousy" parents, or so I thought back then. They gave me curfews, they told me they didn't care what the other parents let their kids do, or how late they could stay out, or where they could go.

Well, it turns out they were right, imagine that?They cared enough to go to my school and talk to the teachers. They cared enough to whoop my azz when I needed and deserved it. They even took sides with other responsible adults against me, how dare they! LOL

Seriously, I saw it 30 - 40 years ago when I was a kid, parents didn't get involved with their kids. As much as I hated it back then, I think I turned out OK. Had my parents acted and treated me like my friends (at the time) parents did, I'd probably be in the same situation as they are, 6 feet under or in jail.

Plain and simple, it's the parents responsibility to raise the children. Not the schools, teachers, police, or court system.

And one other rant, what ever happened to RESPECT? Where did society lose that? Somehow, it seems like my generation, (growing up in the late 60's and 70's), we called our friends parents Mr. and Mrs., never by their first name! Is it possible that by putting our children on a first name basis with adults, they may have lost the respect towards their elders?

And don't get me started on everybody is a winner! (Hint, there are losers, if your kid is one, find him or her something that they are good at, and compete in that instead)

your exactly right. they're proud of their gang bangin kiddies

You might want to get your facts correct. If a person is consider a "formal" gang member they went about removing themselves from it. This shows they learned a thing or to and will teach their children the negative parts about gang life. However, dumba$$es, a member who still suppports the life wil NEVER, ever, ever, consider themselves "formal" Its like saying "You're no longer fam." Know this. :)

FL, you mean "former"?

You should have a word with that girl~~~~ or maybe CPS.

your a moron.

white, black, hispanic, or jap its always the same poor me crap. If you can do what it takes to make em', you can do what it takes to raise em'. Race and wealth have nothing to do with raising your children to be douchebags!

you'd think a second season of jersey shore speak for that arguement.

FromChicago - the reasons you don't see white gangs and Asian gangs in the same quantity as black and Hispanic is poverty (whites have more money and access to money), education (whites can send their kids to private schools and get tutors), neighborhood (whites live in neighborhoods that care about what the families do), and there are other reasons.

Baloney. It looks like you have been trained in the accepted leftist view of the world: making excuses for the patterned behavior by blacks and hispanics (NOT necessarily minorities any more) by touting the "White privilege" nonsense, and having more "access to money" (please - where do I sign up?). There are MANY whites who are NOT wealthy, work low paying jobs and have single parent families. The fact that so few whites belong to gangs leads on into the forbidden subject of racial differences.

But the black and Hispanic family in this country is fractured. If the family was whole and both parents (or the single parent) would come home and ask their child, what did you do today? or sit at the dining room table and talk, maybe we wouldn't have all this youth violence.

Whose fault is that? I'm guessing this is also the fault of whitey?

But the parents are tired when they come home. They're working low-wage jobs, because if they had high-wage jobs they could afford to live in a better neighborhood and have tutors. There are so many negative factors that cause gangs to happen.

There is always an excuse.

"...Whites have more money and access to money" WTF? 1) I have money b/c I don't spend it on drugs. Blacks have more money than me b/c their 8 kids are on welfare. 2) I have access to money /c I work. Blacks don't even know thats an option.

From Chicago-

I've seen some pathetic posts, but yours takes the cake.

Chicago....Your comment is absurd....gangs are sen all over the world with all different races of people and people of varying age groups. Rich or poor doesnt make the difference. I strongly believe that parenting makes the difference regardless of what your personal economics are. Did ya ever hear of the KKK...a bunch of rich and poor white folks in a gang just because the have similar "interests".

Reader...

"...Whites have more money and access to money" WTF? 1) I have money b/c I don't spend it on drugs. Blacks have more money than me b/c their 8 kids are on welfare. 2) I have access to money /c I work. Blacks don't even know thats an option."

First of all color nor money has nothing to do with drug use (Paris Hilton...anyone, or the homeless dude on the street corner). There is also no shortage of white people, or hispanics in the welfare line. And by your statement and the stereo typical feeling of you comment...you would have to admit that drug dealers (largely not white) have more money than you and me put together and they work their a$$es off to keep their business going. They know what work is they just dont want to work at Mickey D's (for anyone who wants to attack me for saying this...these are not my opions, I was just expanding on Reader's stereo type way of thinking).

Oh wow- I can play the anecdotal evidence game too! My brother and me were never touched and our opinions and bodies were respected. When we did something wrong we were explained why it was wrong and how to improve next time. We both ended up respecting others and never getting in trouble and now have good jobs and are kind and have great relationships with our spouses. My step siblings however were spanked and yelled at by my step-mom and ended up on drugs, stabbing classmates with pencils, and only one has grown up to be responsible and found a spouse.

However, these kind of stories are hardly anything to base policy on- studies (1, 2, 3) consistently find that there is a correlation between corporeal punishment and later aggression in the recipients including increased propensity for spousal abuse later in life. Of course, this is hardly conclusive but I couldn't find any studies indicating any benefit at all for spanking.

But really, none of this has anything to do with the article which is about parents going to compulsory classes for their high-risk teens. Sounds like a good deal to me regardless of early methods of child-rearing, though the lack of transportation to far-away schools should really be considered, as well as stats taken on it's effect on recidivism of the youth. Hopefully it will make a positive impact.

1.Child Dev. 2009 Sep-Oct;80(5):1403-20

2.Journal of JOuth and Adolescence Vol 11, No. 2, 1982

3.Journal of Marriage and Family, 58, Nov. 1996, 825-841

Agreed Emily. Good parenting comes from spending quality time talking to your children about everything...not how much you beat them. I chose not to spank my son and so far so good he's a great kid. The same cannot be said for a cousin of mine who spanked often, and hers ended up in prison. I'm not saying he ended up in prison because of the spanking, but perhaps had my cousin taken more time to get involved with her son in a supportive fashion than just one that was full of hitting and screaming...things probably would have turned out different for him. Patience and understanding has to start when they are babies...not once they have reached adolescence.

I have to agree with both sides above. My parents always explained why things were wrong, how they should be done, and why.

On the other hand, I was one stubborn kid, and after explaining it to me so many times (sort of like talking to a wall), I'd get my azz whooped, plain and simple.

I'm not condoning violence, but it sure did get my attention after a few whoopings.

I've got 4 kids, all adults now, 2 boys, 2 girls. The girls had the sense growing up, never needed any butt whoopings, but they knew there might have been the chance if they got too far out of line. The boys, they were a different story, both were sat down and talked to many times, a few butt whoopings went on. As we talk about it now,they remind me that they probably should have deserved more whoopings than they got.

Well, that may be true, (as my parents missed a few opportunities to whoop my butt) but I think I got my point accross as we all have normal relationships with our spouses and or boyfriend and girlfriends. Basically, we turned out OK.

I'm no expert, but in my situation, I see how both ways can work, as long as they are not taken to the extreme.

and what happens after that? A person legally becomes an adult at 18 but vary rarely if ever is truly ready or capable of actually being an adult, even at 21 far to many people are still incapable of being responsible adults...I am not saying that a parent should go to jail because their 20 year old did something wrong but their child likely still needs a lot of guidence to be put on the right path. Being a parent doesnt end when you children reach adulthood...parenting is your job for the rest of your life...or theirs.