Crimes Committed by Children

[Leonie]

Originally Posted by Keira lover

In a world were the criminal justice system actually is about justice, it would. But in practicality, it depends. Parents are one of the most important influences over children: true. But if some kid kills someone, should the parents go to jail: NO If the kid brakes someones property should they pay: no, but do they: yes. We don't blame Ted Bundy's parents for his 72 kills. we blame ted. We can't punish the parent unless they show that they encouraged or at least didn't care about what the kid becomes.. IE, if some boys father stands by and gives him pointers during a murder, then we throw him in prison with the kid.

There's a difference between crimes that stem from a crazy mind and those that stem from a lack of discipline. Parents can teach children values up to a certain point, but they cannot be held responsible for having given birth to a psycho child. Parents don't make a child go psycho. If their child is a killer, there's a lot more wrong with the child than they can reasonably be expected to fix.

However, if the crime is of a nature where it's simply a matter of a complete lack of respect for other people, parents should be held accountable for not teaching their child that trashing other people's belongings or faces is not on.

Bottom line: if a teenager kills someone, there's a lot more wrong than just a lack of discipline in the home, and I doubt parents could be held responsible. However, if they left a gun lying around, for example, I'd say they were at least partly responsible because they failed to provide a safe environment for their children: they part-created the opportunity.

If a teenager trashes someone's house, parents should be made to pay for the damages. Their kid was up to no good. How they work things out financially with their teenager is not our problem: it is a parent's job to ensure their kid knows wrong from right and acts accordingly. Damages resulting from a failure to do so is wholly theirs to pay for.