Parental accountability court will mandate youth programs

Columbia-area governments say they will take parents to court if they willingly allow their children to break the law.

That puts the spotlight on teen after-school centers to help parents keep children out of trouble.

The city of Columbia introduced a Parent Support and Accountability Court during a press conference Feb. 19. The new strategy aims to address juvenile crime by holding parents accountable for their children’s actions while also exposing them to resources. Parents can be arrested for involvement in their child’s crimes and required to participate in mandatory parenting programs.

“There’s been a growing public sentiment about parents being held accountable for their roles in their children committing crimes,” City Councilman Tyler Bailey said during the press conference. “There are programs out there for parenting courses that the sheriff’s department has, that the city has. But the thing with programs, a lot of times, is people don’t take them unless they have to take them.”

The South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice recommends after-school centers as one of the services available for juvenile crime prevention.

Five South Carolina DJJ-recommended after-school centers are available in the Midlands.

The Boys and Girls Club of the Midlands’ Norman Arnold Unit in the Rosewood Neighborhood encourages youth to engage in leadership-building activities.

“We try to help kids that are at-risk – help kids that will probably get in trouble without guidance,” Campus Director June Booth said. 

The club features an in-door gymnasium, a ping-pong table, a foosball table and a room dedicated for older teens. It also has a swing set and jungle gym outside for younger children.

Booth has been involved with The Boys and Girls Club since 1995 and has seen firsthand how these centers impact youth. 

“If we have a child that just doesn’t want to go to school and isn’t doing well in school, (volunteers) are able to talk to him, motivate him, get him excited,” she said.

Teens are allowed to stay at the facility until 8 p.m., while younger children must be picked up by 6:30 p.m.

The Boys and Girls Club also offers older teens mentorship, job readiness training, homework assistance and college tours. 

Booth believes a welcoming environment is crucial for the program’s success. 

“I try to make this place as friendly as possible — a friendly atmosphere where the kids can really connect and feel like they belong somewhere,” she said. 

Students participate in activities such as dodgeball tournaments, E-sports and free-play in the gym.

The students also produce their own podcast, Kid Gloves.

“Kevin Staggers teaches the kids how to set up and interview,” Booth said. “It’s amazing how they do so many episodes in this building.”

The organization also holds monthly family meetings to encourage parental involvement.

The Teen Ambassadors’ Program is another program offered by The Boys and Girls Club. Kelly Simmons, a student empowerment speaker, promotes communication skills and service projects through the program.

City officials hope parents will use the programs before it’s too late.

“My goal when we started this was not to have people go to prison,” Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said during the press conference. “It was just to impress upon them, ‘You have to be a parent. You have to have some control over your children, have to know who they are, who they’re with, where they’re going. You need to know that. That’s what a parent does.’”

The new court will assess parents on a case-by-case basis to determine what kind of intervention or support they need.

“This is not an indictment on parents,” 5th Circuit Solicitor Bryan Gipson said. “It’s just a requirement. It’s our aim to open the doors there so that we can determine which programs could be best suited for parents and get them going in those right directions.” 

Parents who actively participate in their children’s crimes will not be excused, however. 

“When they stop being a parent and become a participant, that’s when we arrest them,” Lott said. “That’s the guiding line for us — not being a parent, but being a participant in the crime.”