Research tells us that children without involved fathers are more likely to commit crimes and engage in risky behaviors. The recent apprehension of the "Barefoot Bandit" gives us a clear example of this statistic.
At the age of 19, Coulton Harris-Moore (known as the "Barefoot Bandit" for executing crimes sans footwear) is suspected of committing at least 100 burglaries. He was caught and brought into custody this weekend when he crash-landed a stolen plane in the Bahamas.
As news sources learn more and more about his troubled childhood, one thing becomes clear - this story definitely has a father factor. Gordon Moore, Harris-Moore's father, used drugs, was imprisoned, and even tried to choke his child before walking out on him at the age of two.
Clearly, there are other factors and variables at work here, but one thing is clear: even though he walked out when his son was only two years old, Gordon Moore had a profound effect on his child's life.
For more information about the father factor in crime, incarceration and risky behavior, check out www.fatherhood.org/fatherfactor
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Father Factor and The Barefoot Bandit
3 comments:
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So what is your point? That the boy should have been around his convict dad more?
ReplyDeleteStart looking at poverty and inherited criminal behavior as causes for criminal behavior. Father absence is not the cause of this boy's criminal behavior, it's in his genes.
Dear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteWhat we are saying is that because this boy had an abusive, troubled father who abandoned him, it contributed to his own criminal behavior. For example - estimates say that over 70% of juveniles in jail for murder grew up in father-absent homes.
In other words, if the Barefoot Bandit had an involved, responsible, and committed father in his life, the likelihood of him engaging in criminal behavior would have been much lower.
Vince (NFI)
There is no such thing as "inherited criminal behavior."
ReplyDelete