Should parents be held responsible for the crimes their children commit?

Answer 1

Yes and no... at a certain point, it becomes the responsibility of the child to live according to the law, not the responsibility of the parent to make sure the kid does so. If a 12-year-old kills another kid, then yes, the parents should be held partially responsible; it's their job to make sure their child is aware of right and wrong and the reasons why. However, if that child is 24 when he kills someone, then I don't think the parents should be held responsible; that's like accusing someone of being an accessory after the fact--WAY after.

Answer 2

This is such a hard question there are a lot of good parents out there they do what they can to keep there children on the right side of the law
but sorry to say children have there own laws now
no one can
tell a child now
but if a child ends up in court the parent ends up with the fine or ends up seeing there child go away
and in the end the judge looks at the parent with disgust
but the parent tyred to keep her son or daughter on the right road
most parents try there are some that give a dam but most do try but the child will do what the child wants do you no why ...... Because the government put the rules a clip round the ear never hurt me and i am 45years old and i still would never disrespect my family but youth of today what do you think is wrong
youth have no respect because it seems they don't need to respect no one
respect
shaz

Answer 3

I would say up until age 14. By then the child should know with out a doubt the difference between right and wrong. Prior to that, I think the parents should be held FINANCIALLY responsible for the crimes of the child. But if anyone has to do hard time, it should be the kid, either in JuVee lock up or prison.

Answer 4

If the children are not going to be fined, made to pay restitution, charged for a crime, because they are children in the eyes of the law, then the parents should be held accountable and liable for and costs due to their childrens actions. Not jailed, but made to pay for their actions. And depending on the crime, if the "child" is old enough to know right from wrong and committed the crime anyway, then off to jail with him or her.

Answer 5

I believe it is the childs parents responsibility to keep children on the straight and narrow path. If a child commits a crime while the parent is be neglectful of their childs discipline, yes they should b held accountable.

Answer 6

I figure that if KIDS are brought into the world it is the parents RESPONSIBILITY to teach them RIGHT FROM wrong and how to make the right decisions.

The methods parents can use have changed dramatically since I was a boy so patents have to adapt to the environment in how they address positive change.

I got "THE BELT" on a regular basis as a teenager; I DESERVED it and NEVER considered calling special services, it was just how it was.

Now there is a "Time OUT" and I personally think that it is a CROCK!

The direct answer to your question is YES!!!!

Just look at the basketball brawl last night; they were disrespected on their home court and if this doesn't sound like GANG MENTALITY at an ADULT level what does?

A parents CHILDREN are a DIRECT REFLECTION on THEM and are either directly or indirectly RESPONSIBLE for their childrens actions.

J

Answer 7

I so agree with jacquesst. To much power has been given to children, and not by parents as much as by politics. Parents should be held responsible to a point, but children need to take their punishment for their crimes.

Answer 8

Absolutly.

It is not and should not be the state's job to parent. Can you even imagine how bad they'd be at it?

However, I think more proactive solutions than simply monitary penalties and community service work should be instituted. The problem we run into with that is, often, these children lack supervision due to their single parent working two or three jobs. Imposing another financial burden on them is only making the situation worse.

In cases where you have a minor repeat offender, we need to have a review system in place to connect these people to the social programs that do exist that could help them and they may not know about. It would not be expensive or difficult for a county to have a pool of social workers, numbering depending on the size of the community, to review current cases and past cases on a regular basis.

These are social programs that we're already paying for that people could be taking advantage of to improve the quality of our society as a whole, but enough people simply do not know about.

This sort of thing cannot be handled off the cuff and decisions by judges and judicial officials *must* be made on a case by case basis. Using Public Defenders to shuffle them in and out as quickly as possible may make things easier that day, but helps to insure that these kids will not only be back to clog the system later, but could very well be setting a pattern for the rest of their lives.

I'm not saying there shouldn't be any responsability, but in our anger and blinging urge to seek retrobution we make things worse not only for them, but for ourselves too. Problem chidren are often seen as a parent's problem, but if left unchecked, they become problem adults and everyone's problem.

Answer 9

In certain cases they already are.

If a parent says something in the kid's presence like "i wish Someone would kill my boss...It would save this family a lot of trouble..." and then leaves a gun and ammunition in a place the kid can find it...

If the kid "finds" the gun and acts on Mom's suggestion, then they could both be tried and convicted of the crime. The parent might even get a more severe punishment.

If a kid commits a crime, many times it is in spite of a good home life, not because of one, and the parents cannot be punished for that.

Answer 10

No.

Parents may raise their children to be the best people that they can be, but everyone reaches a certain age where you have to be held accountable. While to a certain degree, parents can be at fault, there are children that are raised in affluent homes with caring parents. Look at Jeb Bush's daughter. She strayed from what was right with one of the most powerful fathers in the country. So my answer is, it depends on what the circumstances are.