Dave Kopel

While experts argue about the causes of juvenile crime and violence, citing a decline in morality, poverty, or television violence, statistics show that the divorce rate is currently up to 50 percent, and that an increasing number of children are being raised without fathers. In the following viewpoint, Dave Kopel argues that this epidemic of fatherlessness is the major cause of juvenile crime and violence because children lacking adult male authority figures are more likely to commit crimes. He contends that until the problem of illegitimate children is solved, crime control will remain ineffective. Kopel is a property lawyer in Los Angeles and a contributing columnist for the National Review, a conservative journal of opinion.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What does the juvenile detention counselor quoted...