Last year a large fight broke out among a group of teenagers in Gloucester, New Jersey. Nine teens were arrested and three police officers were injured. Apparently, residents of the town have had enough. They recently passed the Minors and Parent Responsibility law, which allows parents to be fined and even jailed if their children engage in repeated instances of lawlessness, including drug dealing, assault and even loitering.

Some residents are outraged, while others think this is a perfectly reasonable response to teen behavior that is out of control. But one important question lost in this debate is how we should help parents who think their children’s behavior is a problem, but don’t seem to be able to curb it.

Take Miguel Mendoza, whose 14-year-old son Angel was murdered on a play

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