When it comes to parenting decisions, Ohio law is powerless to intervene. Parents have a fundamental right to care for and control their children, as guaranteed by the US Constitution. This right cannot be overridden by Ohio law or even its constitutional law. The decrease in crime rates among young people and adults during the 1990s and 2000s has been attributed to the conditions of their cohort.
It is believed that these conditions have led to a decrease in the propensity to commit crimes. Surprisingly, an increase in female employment has been linked to higher crime rates. This is due to the fact that lower salaries can offset the positive effects of labor force participation, and women's participation in the labor market can lead to lower levels of social control at both the neighborhood and family level. On the other hand, large immigrant populations can help reduce crime rates by encouraging informal social control efforts and revitalizing local economies in their neighborhoods.
The only policy that has a simultaneous impact on both adolescent motherhood and crime is Medicaid exemptions for family planning. This policy helps maintain parental control over their children's decisions, as minors cannot have an abortion without parental consent unless there is a court order or life-threatening emergency. In addition, 20 independent variables have been identified to capture macroeconomic conditions that could explain the simultaneous decline in motherhood and crime among adolescent girls observed during the 1990s and 2000s.
