¶ … parents be held responsible for their children's actions?
I believe that parents should be held accountable for their children's criminal actions and according to an article in Business Wire 72% of Americans agree. ("Harris Interactive Study Reveals Three Quarters of Americans Believe Parents Should be Held Liable for Children's Criminal Actions"). The article reports the results of a study conducted by Harris Interactive which interviewed 2737 people from around the country. The study found that regardless of social or economic standing Americans want to see parents held responsible for the criminal actions of their children. ("Harris Interactive Study Reveals Three Quarters of Americans Believe Parents Should be Held Liable for Children's Criminal Actions")
It is my assertion that holding parents responsible for the criminal actions of their children will deter crime. It will also encourage parents to be more attentive in the upbringing of their children.
The severities of the crimes that are committed by children in this country are alarming.
Parents must understand that they will be held accountable for raising children that are unruly and break the law.
To What Extent Should Parents be held responsible?
The extent to which parents should be held responsible depends on the crime committed by the child. For instance, if a child is caught shoplifting the parents should be given parenting classes.
However, if the child commits another crime the punishment should be more severe, such as having to pay a fine.
On the other hand if a child commits a more severe crime, such as rape or murder, both the parent and the child should be held criminally responsible. I don't believe that the parents should go to jail because the nation's jails are already overcrowded. However, I do believe that the parents should have to pay a substantial fine, be given a criminal record and if there are any other children living in the home, then the parents must attend parenting classes and be monitored carefully.
Should there be laws to enforce such responsibility?
There should definitely be laws that enforce the responsibility of parents for the criminal actions of their children. These laws should be mandated by the federal government and overseen by the state governments. I believe that there should be one federal law governing the ways in which parents will be held responsible. The states will then regulate the law and make certain that the law is enforced throughout the states.
A admit that making parent responsibility a law will be a difficult undertaking because it is difficult to mandate morality and ethics. What may seem moral to one person may seem immoral to another. Parents must have a clear understanding of what the responsibility laws are and what the consequences of their children's actions will be.
How else can communities handle parents who refuse to take responsibility for their actions?
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