The correlation between dysfunctional family life and the incarcerated

Abstract

A brief summary of the Developmental Life Course theory expresses the impact the environment of a person has on them. The impact the family has on a person can influence them for a good life or a criminal one. The family began to disintegrate ten years before the divorce rates and prison rate skyrocketed. This paper discusses the correlation between the two and the impact the family has in relation to influencing a person to crime or a way from crime.

This paper ranges from before the implementation of the No Fault Divorce propositions. This paper will prove the implementation of the No Fault Divorce propositions are directly related to the increase in crime and the disintegration of the traditional family model.

Many religions, new and old, will often emphasize on the importance of the family in God’s plan. In reality, the family is crucial in developing a child. Most religious institutions in the United States have recently made statements about their concern for the family. These religious institutions claim society is in dire straits because of the disintegration of the family. The question which must be asked is; what is causing the disintegration of the family? Many believe the answer is complex, but the research shows a much simpler answer. The parents are not taking accountability for raising their children, parents are distracted, and marriage is not taken seriously. Research is showing the results of the traditional family unit being destroyed. The results are in the prison system. The evidence plainly shows the parallel correlation between the divorce rate and the prisoner rate.

In our society the family unit has more adversity than ever before. Dictionary.com (2015) defines a family as, “a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not: the traditional family … a social unit consisting of one or more adults together with the children they care for: a single-parent family”. The family is chief in the raising of children. The family is where children learn the basic life skills needed to participate in society.

The family is the basic building block of which all members of our society are made. As goes the family so goes the nation. The children being raised today are one day going to replace the leaders and those with great responsibilities. Seeing this future, we must realize the importance of raising these children. It is no secret the family is important. It is hypocritical to view the family as important and then have the highest inmate population in the world. There have been many organizations lobbying on the behalf of the family for decades after the United States was created. Many religions believe a mother and father have a sacred duty to provide for their children’s…, physical and spiritual needs, to teach them, to love them, to serve one another, and be law abiding citizens wherever they live (Hinckley, et al, 1995).

Hinckley, et al (1995) further argued, “the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient prophets“. As the disintegration of the family increases we also see the crime rate increase. The Amicus Brief for the Case of State of New Jersey v. Michaels, (1994) stated, “these studies… (child social studies)… indicate that in a variety of conditions, young children are more suggestible than adults with preschoolers being more vulnerable than any other age group”. During this time frame the child develops personalities and characteristics which will continue into adulthood. Children need structure and stability. In an article Rachel Allison, (2012) stated, “Too many parents become distracted by all that society is offering, and they fail to focus time and instruction toward their children. Children, having no guidance because of absent parents, become swayed by what society is offering, and the cycle continues, but compounds with each new generation”. Many parents excuse themselves from being part of this absent parent problem. These parents are always justifying their circumstances to escape accountability. M. Russel Ballard, (2015) a leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints stated, “statistically those who have less education and consequently lower incomes are less likely to marry and go to church, and much more likely to be involved in crime and have children outside of marriage. Prosperity and education seem to be connected to a higher likelihood of having traditional families and values”. A large percentage of criminals are raised in a low economic circumstance. Being a single parent often makes it difficult to provide for children and supervise them as well. In a report conducted shortly after the Civil War there was discovered to be a correlation between criminals and broken homes. The report stated, “Reports to the legislature in 1829 and 1830 suggested that family disintegration resulting from the death, desertion, or divorce of parents led to undisciplined children who eventually became criminals” (U.S. Department of Justice, p. 6). Contrary to what many believe, a child coming from a single parent family does not mean they are more likely to grow up to be criminals. Simply stating, children who are raised in single parent circumstances have an increased vulnerability to be influenced to criminality. When a parent is not actively participating in the life of the child one must imagine who or what is filling the void. A child is most influenced while they are growing up. Between ten years old and twenty years old the child makes decisions which influence their lives.

At this age the child is at their most vulnerable and susceptible to the influence of their friends, their peers or any other person who they look up to. According to Law.jrank.org, (2014):

Classical theories endorsed the popular view that good child development requires the presence of two parents. This view seemed to have been corroborated by studies showing that the incidence of broken homes was higher among delinquents than among the non-delinquents with whom they were compared. In line with the Freudian tradition, many believed that paternal absence resulted in over-identification with the mother. According to this view, delinquency is one symptom of compensatory masculine ‘acting-out’. The theory purports further why delinquency is prevalent among blacks and the poor, groups with high rates of single-parent families.

Specifically speaking of the disappearance of fathers from the family relationship, Sky Loyd, from The Father Involvement Research Alliance, (2014) stated:

Involved dads = Successful children. The dad effect starts as early as birth. A review of studies … show that babies with more involved fathers are more likely to be emotionally secure, confident in new situations, and eager to explore their surroundings. As they grow, they are more sociable. Toddlers with involved fathers are better problem-solvers and have higher IQs by age 3. They are more ready to start school and can deal with the stress of being away from home all day better than children with less involved fathers…Girls with involved fathers have higher self-esteem, and teenage girls who are close to their dads are less likely to become pregnant. Boys show less aggression, less impulsivity, and more self-direction. As young adults, children of involved fathers are more likely to achieve higher levels of education, find success in their careers, and have higher levels of self-acceptance and experience psychological well-being. Adults who had involved fathers are more likely to be tolerant and understanding, have supportive social networks made up of close friends, and have long-term successful marriages.

Today in America it has become very normal to see a family without the father. This new normal is not because the father has passed away. It is because of the decision of the parents to separate. In 2014 the Federal Census stated, 35% of children were being raised in a single parent household. Women made up 80% of the single parent households. During the growing up years the lack of a father figure in the lives of these children has an impact on them which increases their vulnerability.

In 1969 in California Ronald Reagan passed the No Fault Divorce into law. Later Reagan admitted No Fault Divorce was the biggest mistake of his career. No Fault Divorce was intended to quell the deceit of spouses to get out of their marriage. Before No Fault Divorce marriage was seen as a type of marital contract. The courts would treat the marriage vows as if it was a contract. In order to separate from one’s spouse they had to prove the other spouse was in violation of the marital contract.

A decade after California implemented the law virtually all the states had enacted the same law. Within 10 years divorce rates had risen by 70%.

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Source: http://www.heritage.org/static/reportimages/D091FC67FA3A97DB5E6092D1D198244F.gif

In 1974 Susan Gettleman and Janet Markowitz published The Courage to Divorce. In the book Gettleman and Markowitz, (1974) state, “When Fathers are not available, friends, relatives, teachers, and counselors can provide ample opportunity for youngsters to model themselves after a like-sexed adult”. Gettleman and Markowitz’s theory was to replace the father with all these people who could help out. What Gettleman and Markowitz didn’t realize is you cannot replace the bond between a child and a parent. Plus, the instability of divorce is a destructive force for children. It is common knowledge children need stability and divorce provides instability. Nearly 40 years later Gettleman and Markowitz’s statement has not held up against scrutiny. The instability divorce brings continues to be a problem which cannot be fixed by even a step family. The incarceration rate can easily be seen as it mimics the divorce rate:

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Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AUS_incarceration_timeline-clean.svg, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It is no coincidence after only 10 years of the implementation of the No Fault Divorce the incarceration rate jumps at the same rate as the divorce rate. Paul Amato (2009) estimated “if the United States enjoyed the same level of family stability today as it did in 1960, the nation would have 750,000 fewer children repeating grades, 1.2 million fewer school suspensions, approximately 500,000 fewer acts of teenage delinquency, about 600,000 fewer kids receiving therapy, and approximately 70,000 fewer suicide attempts every year”.

Further evidence presented by Bradford Wilcox, (2009) of National Affairs stated:

Adult children of divorce are 61% more likely than adult children from married families to endorse the notion that it is a "good idea for a couple who intend to get married to live together first. Likewise, adult children of divorce are 47% more likely to be currently cohabiting, compared to those who were raised in intact, married families. Thus, divorce has played a key role in reducing marriage and increasing cohabitation, which now exists as a viable competitor to marriage in the organization of sex, intimacy, childbearing, and even child-rearing.

Thus, we see the impact divorce has on a child and the generations which follow. When an adult begins the cohabitation they are engaging in a practice which only offers a temporary pleasure. There is no legal binding action which allows for a recourse or stability. If one party wants to leave they leave. This cohabitation is good in theory but when children are present it is very devastating. By cohabitating the parents can more easily break apart. There is no need to contact the court system or go through with the messy legal work and fees if you are not married. The common sentiment is that cohabitating is a trial run and if it doesn’t work out there will be no need for the court system to perform a divorce. This noncommittal thought process produces a sentiment of unimportance to a relationship such as marriage. When the couple separates it is fine unless there is a child involved between the two. In many cases the child will stay with the mother and the father will leave. This abandonment leaves a void in the child who will always wonder why their father abandoned them. The father and mother are the strongest people who hold the family together. When one of them goes missing the rest of the family suffers. This is why it is very important for both spouses to interact with the family. Each spouse has a specific set of attributes which are engendered within them. These spouses cannot sell these attributes, or trade it, or pick it up from the other spouse. Many people with the help of technology do not need to have a specific abuse to separate from their family. These people have become aloof from their family and children because of technology.

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