Though statistics paint an alarming picture of teen run-ins with the law, parents can breathe a sigh of relief thanks the State Bar of California's legal guide, "Kids and the Law."
This free A-to-Z guide explains laws from "age of majority" to "zero tolerance" that relate to children and dispels legal myths, such as whether or not parents can be held liable for serving their children alcohol.
The bar association surveyed 600 children ages 10 to 14 in 1996 in an effort to better understand what drives young people to break the law and who might influence their behavior. The survey revealed that while most know about serious laws, a significant number of children lack sufficient legal knowledge.
In the survey, about 25 percent of the children said they did not believe it was against the law to break curfew, beat up someone, hit a family member, skip school, or break into someone's locker.
The results also indicated that most kids find out about laws from school, their friends and their televisions, but go to their parents first with legal questions.
The bar association created the guide to better inform parents and youth about California laws and to prevent teenage "pranks" from costing parents a cleanup bill, a medical bill or legal fees.
To order a free book, call 1-800-445-4LAW.