Hypothetically speaking - if your teenager stole checks from you and forged your signature would you?

Question

Press charges to "try" & teach them a life lesson or do home punishment. Say said checks totalled over $700.00.

Answer 1

call the police and maybe they can put a little fear in him. maybe they could question him or something and tell him this is a crime and all that stuff. good luck!

Answer 2

I would definately punish them very ver y harshly ie. pay back the money (even if you already got it back) because it will put how long and how hard it take sto mak $700.00 into perspective for them. If they don't like it tough. Also they would be groinded to the house all summer. I warn you that once you get the court system involved you might not like where the case can go. You give up control at that point and things could get ugly quickly. Once the state is invovled you can't just change your mind if you do not like where it is going. I defend a lot of juveniles that were reported by that parents and now the parents regret it. However, if it gets out of hand sometimes you have to teach them the difficult lesson and report them to the police. Good luck.

Answer 3

The forged checks with a total over $501 is a felony. So it really depends on you as to what you want to do. Your teenager can go to jail for a long time ( not the typical 21 days in juvie) for a felony.
Put them on home punishment for a year, no tv, no phone, no computer, the only place the teen can go is in the back yard, or to the job he/she needs to get to pay you the moneyback that they stole, no movies- only school and home. no friends visiting for the first 2 months then after that friends visit once a week for an hour. .

Answer 4

I would press charges for this reason, what if there is a next time and it is not you ? Do you think a stranger is going to think twice . The teenager will be older and thus the lesson will be Much harsher. You will have some input as to what happens [ very little but some] A teenager is old enough to realize there are real world consequences to their actions. A sense of responsibility is the best gift you can give your kids .

Answer 5

I'd have to press charges... I could not afford to lose that amount of money and my teen knows that. It might be different if I were rich, but ... nah, I don't approve of theft. I would call the cops straight away.

I'd also suspect the teen might be on drugs. All the more reason to nip it in the bud.

Answer 6

well if they are old enough to get a job i would make them get one to pay me back with interest..putting them in jail may teach them other criminal things.. but i would also take into the consideration is this the first time.. why they did it and are they trouble maker.. before i would think of jail..

Answer 7

No. I'd grown the kid for months. He wouldn't be going out of the house except to go to the job, that I will drive him to and pick him up from, so that he could pay me back. No computers, no phones, no TV.....nothin'. By the time he's allowed out for actual fun, he'd be so grateful that he wouldn't think of stealing from me again.

Answer 8

dont press charges cuz thatll just mess up their life with a past of criminal charges and then theyll be more reliant on you

but this hypothetical kid is pretty stupid

Answer 9

unless you ever want you child to speak to you again, you better go with home punishment. Trust me I know from experience and your relationship will never be the same if you put a criminal record on your own child. Shame on you for even considering it. :(

Answer 10

I wouldn't press charges. But I would punish them thru hell.