An almost 80-year-old law is being revised to hold parents more accountable for their children’s behaviour amid increasing youth crime, the outgoing chief probation officer has revealed to Barbados TODAY.
Denise Agard disclosed that the Probation Department is currently reviewing the legislation to address parental responsibility.
She said: “The Probation Department is reviewing our legislation which was in place from 1946, so we have a consultant working on that right now and that will have some new provisions. One of the things that I will highlight is that we would like to make parents more responsible for their children.”
“Parents have to take more responsibility,” she stressed. “The legislation will reflect that. Obviously, it would have to be in draft form and has to go to the various entities to verify if it is fair and equal.”
Agard noted that while the legislation will undergo rigorous review, the Probation Department stands ready to assist in whatever capacity necessary to support parents and their children.
“It’s not always about money, we love what we do, and we are proud of the number of persons we would have had over the years to get their lives back on track,” she stated.
A new law in neighbouring Antigua and Barbuda holds parents legally responsible for their children’s misconduct. The legislation, which includes curfews for minors and penalties of fines and imprisonment for parents of children who loiter or engage in other offences, has prompted some education officials to consider increased parental responsibility.
The legislation has sparked discussions here about whether similar measures are needed to tackle rising youth crime and violence in schools.
A spokesman for secondary school principals has stopped short of backing the tough, new legislation in the Leeward Island CARICOM neighbour. And the head of the union representing the nation’s primary school teachers also weighed in on the issue, pointing to the United States where parents were prosecuted for their children’s involvement in serious crimes, including recent mass shootings.
President of the Barbados Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools (BAPPSS), Stephen Jackman, told Barbados TODAY that while Antigua and Barbuda’s approach might seem extreme, it reflects the urgency needed to address the issue of undisciplined youth.
“While the steps seem to sound a little drastic, it shows the urgency that the Antigua government is placing on dealing with recalcitrant children and bringing some sort of accountability to the system,” he said.
The recently passed Child Justice Amendment Act in St John’s imposes stricter regulations on minors in public spaces and holds parents accountable for failing to properly supervise their children. It also penalises nightclubs, bars and event organisers who allow minors to remain on their premises between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Parents found guilty of allowing their children to loiter or violate curfew regulations face fines of up to EC$5 000 (BDS$3 738.67) and up to six months in prison.
Jackman cautioned against adopting such stringent laws in Barbados but underscored the importance of finding ways to actively involve parents in the counselling and rehabilitation of troubled students.
“I don’t know that we should go as far as that type of legislation, but there should be some mechanism to force the parents of these students that are causing problems to be part of the counselling and rehabilitative process,” he added.
President of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Rudy Lovell also agreed that parents should be held responsible for their children’s behaviour, at least to some degree.
“I would need to see the legislation in its entirety, but I believe that some accountability should be had by parents for the actions of their children,” he said. “If you notice, in the United States, parents are now being charged for the actions of their children, especially when it comes to mass shootings.”
“I think over the past couple of months, two parents were charged with second-degree murder. I don’t know if that has sent a message to the other parents out there to intervene in any attempt by their children to cause death or to inflict harm on anyone,” he added.
Lovell said he remains hopeful that such accountability could foster positive change but stressed the need for more research into the potential impact of such laws.
“It may have its benefits, but I would have to do my research before I could comment extensively on that,” he said.
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