Under a newly passed ordinance in Gloucester Township, New Jersey, parents can be fined, criminally charged, and even jailed for their children’s illegal behavior.
The Minors and Parents Responsibility Ordinance holds parents and guardians of minors accountable if they “fail to prevent their children from breaking the law.”
Officials proposed the measure after “multiple fights were instigated by a crowd that swelled to more than 500 kids and young adults” during the Gloucester Township Day and Drone Show in June 2024, according to NJ.com.
The outlet reported that 11 people, nine of whom were minors, were arrested, and that three police officers were injured during the incident.
In a social media post, the Gloucester Township Police Department portrayed the Drone Show as “the last straw” following a series of other “incidents of youth misbehavior.”
The outlet reported that officials in the southern New Jersey township postponed this year’s Drone Show after social media posts suggested similar disruptions might occur. “In light of the violence,” officials said they are rethinking the future viability of the event.
The new ordinance “imposes maximum fines of $2,000, plus the possibility of up to 90 days in jail, for adults whose children continuously commit unruly acts. … [It] includes 28 offenses that could make caretakers liable. They range from felonies, loitering, breaking curfew and chronic truancy to immorality, habitual vagrancy and knowingly associating with immoral people.”
Police Chief David Harkins told NJ.com, “Our ordinance was actually sampled from other towns. We’re not necessarily the first, but we’re probably the first bigger town to adopt it.”
He added that “parents will first be warned instead being assessed fines.”
The Jersey Shore town of Wildwood instituted a similar measure last year after dealing with criminal behavior from minors.
While the passage of this ordinance will no doubt stir controversy, it may be an idea whose time has come. A responsible parent should know where their children are, what they are doing, and who they are with. Most parents take that responsibility seriously, but there are too many who leave their children to their own devices — often with troubling results. These are the parents who will be most affected by the ordinance, and they won’t like it.
Supporters of this measure feel that if parents kept a closer eye on what their kids are doing — whether that’s checking in on social media or setting some firm ground rules at home — it could go a long way toward stopping the kind of trouble that spoils community events and puts people at risk. Critics might call the ordinance government overreach, but those in favor see it as common sense: if we want our public spaces to be safe and welcoming, accountability has to start at home.
Maybe officials in Washington, D.C., should consider a version of this.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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