Solving Washington's Crime

Our nation's capital is beset with street violence. The reason for this starts in the home, where all too often the father has been banished in favor of a check from the government. Then, with discipline lacking, truancy and delinquency start and a gang becomes the "family" of a boy with an absent dad. To restore order, I would hold the parent (usually the mother as the father is not in the picture) civilly liable for the crimes of her minor children and penalize her criminally for her son's unexcused absences from the public schools. Then, I would impose a curfew at nine at night on minors on weekdays during the school year and one at ten pm during school breaks and weekends. These steps would not be a panacea but would help.