In the wake of last week’s shooting by a Winston-Salem teenager, questions are emerging about the role that parents, police, and society may play in fueling violent outbreaks like this one.
Earlier this week, additional charges were filed against the 16-year-old suspect arrested on July 4 for allegedly shooting a juvenile outside Truist Stadium.
The suspect is being charged as an adult. His parent was also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Since then, Winston-Salem Police Chief William Penn has called for more responsible parenting to help counteract the growing numbers he sees of unsupervised youth downtown. Juvenile arrests are a drain on resources, he says. And young offenders often wind up in the justice system as adults.
Penn says demanding accountability from parents is one part of the answer.
"I'm talking to a very select group of negligent parents," says Penn. "So, I just wanted to make it clear that parents aren't in any danger of being charged just because their child makes a mistake. Kids will do that. If you're negligent, and if your negligence contributes to it, then you do have something to worry about."
Valerie Glass is the executive director of Triad Restorative Justice, a nonprofit that helps youth respond to conflict by identifying the needs of the victims, the offenders, the community, and looking for ways to repair the harm that was caused.
Glass says the recent youth behavior in Winston-Salem is a complicated, multilayered issue driven by a combination of family dynamics, peer influences, community conditions, and more.
"Looking for long-term behavior change, a punishment approach doesn't get that, but strong, stable relationships do," says Glass. "And youth really need that consistency. They need a strong sense of connection and positive ways to grow —meaningful engagement, trusted adults — and those changes take a lot of time."
Triad Restorative Justice was one of several organizations that recently partnered with local law enforcement to tackle youth violence through a six-week summer program.
