Speakeasy forum: This is distubing to hear

Teens are some of the most dangerous people walking the streets. They haven't learned to perceive the consequences of their actions. They lack empathy. They think in the short term, not the long term.

However, I have to say that the behaviors that put 80% of the kids I worked with in lockup were directly attributable to the parents. Some kids learned criminal behavior directly from family, and some had parents that made no effort to raise and nurture their kids in appropriate social behaviors.

Citizenship starts at home. Social and group interaction at school, is where those skills are to be practiced. When kids fail, the parents blame the schools, when it is really the parents own fault that their kid is an animal.

I remember being that way when I was in my teens. Riding the subway at all hours, alone, absolutely convinced I could handle any potential dangers. Nothing ever happened to me but now I realize how lucky I was. Crime in NYC was a lot worse then.

Some kids are just "wrong" and even the best parents are powerless against them, but yes, in most cases bad kids are the products of bad parenting.

Gangs are also a whole different beast than they were 40-50 years ago. A gangfight back then usually involved chains, baseball bats, knives and "zip guns," which were homemade firearms, usually made from whatever raw materials you could get your hands on, and rarely very effective. Today's gangs are often more heavily armed than some countries.