Should the criminal be held accountable or their parents..?

Question

Most convicts I know had a terrible home life, without any parental guidance.

Answer 1

the criminal

no matter how much love you give your child they have a mind of their own

Answer 2

Although we cannot criminally punish the parents in any justice system (unless there has been neglect or abuse), there are some who are simply not ready to be parents. Should they be held accountable?

On the one side, child development is influenced greatly by the parents, or the figures most prominent in the lives at the time. Parents bear a great impact on personality, on behavior and especially on judgement. A parental figure offers guidance as a child, positive or negative.

However, on the other hand (the hand that I most agree with) a core judgement of human character is self-control. Much as we would like to believe that parents are the causes of their child's behavior, that's where the speculation ends. Yes, they may be the cause, but the difference is that they didn't commit the crime. If we were to punish the parents at all, it would to bear no more children, not to spend jail time. There are millions around the world who have terrible parents, or no parents at all, and never commit felonies. There are those with wonderful parents who can stab their friends in the back - literally. The justice system was not created to seek vengeance. It was created to keep the criminal from repeating this transgression of the law.

So, can parents be held accountable for offspring's faults? Perhaps. But they cannot be punished. After all, these parents are not convicts - and if they are, then they have already served their time.

Answer 3

Depends very much on what their home life has been like. I've known kids from good homes, good parents, who've turned into little thugs! IF it is obvious that the parents have neglected their parental obligations, then the answer would be that the parents are responsible, but proving that would be generally impossible.
I've always gone with blaming the parents, and I do believe that this is generally the case. Lots of parents do not know and do not care where their kids are or what they're doing, but they were probably allowed to run wild themselves when growing up, and don't know any better! So, I suppose that ultimately, we should all be held accountable for our own actions which means that the kids are accountable.

Answer 4

There's a big error in that sort of judgment. First it presumes that crimes are not intentional acts, but uncontrolled reactions. A person commits a crime because they came from this sort of life. So we blame the parents as well for their criminal acts. But, seeing that most these parents are simply replicating the home life that they had, their acts too are excused because of their parents. The list goes on and on. Fortunately we have the belief that criminal acts are conscious, directed acts (we even have state supported education to ensure they know these acts are bad), so that when the crime is commited the one person that gets punished is the one person that could have ultimately stoped it... the perpitrator.

Answer 5

Blaming the parents is a cop-out. Every individual, especially in this age of information, has the ability to make decisions based on laws, moral ideas and decency. Environment and upbringing color everyone, whether positively or negatively. But knowledge is what matters when a person makes the decision to be a criminal or a good citizen.

Answer 6

Boo-hoo. I realize that there are a lot of bad parents in this country. However, there are also a lot of people out there who came from terrible homes and terrible childhoods who have come out on top. They chose what their life would be like. Also, it's the other way around as well. There have been plenty of kids who were well-supervised and loved and taken excellent care of, and they turned out to be nothing but garbage (remember those Columbine kids?). So, don't always be so quick to blame the parents. Once people reach a certain age, they know what's right from wrong. They make their own decisions.

Answer 7

I think it would be difficult to pin the rap on the parents of an "of age" criminal. If a minor commits a crime that might be a different story. I think the parents of a child who commits a crime - especially a violent crime - should be held accountable to some degree.

Answer 8

Neither, it would be better if you tried to figure out what about your own life is similar to the specific convict's history, his shortcomings, accept your personal responsibility, say I am sorry, I love you, and go out and enjoy yourself. Sound crazy?
One psychologist in Hawaii went to this process and closed out a whole wing of criminally insane convicts, one at a time, and never left his office. We are one, that is why it works. Try it out on one person and watch. Joy to All. Ron

Answer 9

Hard question to answer. I would say both are accountable.

Yes, in the sense that the parents did not do their job in raising and loving the person properly.

No, because after becoming an adult or knowing right from wrong by seeing how others lived in society, he/she chose not to learn and abide by what they observed.

That's my opinion.

Answer 10

Everyone who is mentally sound and of an accountable age has a free will which gives them the ability to know right from wrong. Everything that these people do is a choice that they make. If they choose to do wrong, they must suffer the consequence.

Answer 11

Once you reach the age of eighteen you have to be accountable for yourself, blaming your parents don't cut it.
A lot of people have bad upbringings but don't commit crimes, that is a lousy excuse almost as lousy as I'm a product of society. It bull crap they need to take personal responsibility for their actions, no one forced them to commit their crimes, they chose to to so and when you make bad choices there are consequences.


I a child is under the age of 12 then the parents should be held accountable.