Parental Monitoring and Perceptions Related to Juvenile Offenders Who Fight and Carry Weapons

Abstract

The present study examined constructs of parents, namely parental monitoring and perceptions, who were accompanying their adolescent child to juvenile court. The Juvenile Offender Parent Questionnaire (JOPQ) was administered to 151 parents/guardians of juveniles between the ages of 13 and 17 being arraigned in juvenile court. Results reveal that parents of weapon carriers and parents of fighters both appear to be exasperated when compared with other parents who were also accompanying their adolescent child to juvenile court. Parents of weapon carriers and parents of fighters report increased exasperation with regard to their child, difficulty in monitoring their child’s behavior, fear of physical harm from their child, and the perception that their child has been exposed to more violence than the comparison group. Further avenues for research and intervention are discussed.