Fatherlessness & Criminal Activity

Criminal activity and fatherlessness are closely related as well. Most adolescents who enter the justice system have suffered from parental abandonment, substance abuse, or a dysfunctional household. In a study of 75 juvenile delinquents, 66% experienced fatherlessness, 20% had never lived with their father, and 25% had an alcoholic father (Kofler-Westergren, Klopf, Bernhard, 2010). Some data suggests that children without fathers in the home are 279% more likely to carry guns and deal drugs compared to peers living with their fathers (Allen, Lo, 2010). In one study, 70% of youth in state-operated facilities were from sing-parent homes (Beck, Kline, Greenfeld, 1987).

On the whole, some data suggests that fatherless kids are 20 times more likely to be incarcerated (Seidel, 2022). Other data suggests that children who are close to their fathers are 80% less likely to spend time in jail (The Fatherhood Project). Moreover, 71% of teachers and 90% of law enforcement officials state that the lack of parental supervision at home is a major factor that contributes to violence in schools (Maginnis, 1997). In a study of 56 school shootings, only 10 of the shooters (18%) were raised in a stable home with both biological parents. 82% grew up in either an unstable family environment or grew up without both biological parents together (Langman, P. 2016).

As it relates to the correlation between fatherlessness and delinquency, particularly in adolescent boys, one study concluded that “finally, the strong link between adolescent family structure and delinquent behavior is not accounted for by the income differentials associated with fathers' absence. Our results suggest that the presence of a father figure during adolescence is likely to have protective effects, particularly for males, in both adolescence and young adulthood.” (Cobb-Clark & Tekin, 2011).

Another unfortunate reality is that America’s prisons are full of fathers separated from their children. Of America’s roughly 2 million prisoners, over 800,000 are parents—and 92% of those are fathers. There are just about 2.7 million children that have a parent in prison (Barnes-Proby et al., 2022). In 2016, the average age of a minor child with parents in federal prison was 10 years old, and nine years old for minors with a parent in a state prison (Department of Justice, 2021).

Pew Research Center, FACT TANK: U.S. has world’s highest rate of children living in single-parent households:

“For decades, the share of U.S. children living with a single parent has been rising, accompanied by a decline in marriage rates and a rise in births outside of marriage. A new Pew Research Center study [NEW LINK] [released Dec. 12, 2019] of 130 countries and territories shows that the U.S. has the world’s highest rate of children living in single-parent households.

“Almost a quarter of U.S. children under the age of 18 live with one parent and no other adults (23%), more than three times the share of children around the world who do so (7%) …

“In comparison, 3% of children in China, 4% of children in Nigeria and 5% of children in India live in single-parent households. In neighboring Canada, the share is 15%.”

57.6% of black children, 31.2% of Hispanic children, and 20.7% of white children are living absent their biological fathers.