To What Extent Should Parents Be Held Responsible For Children's Crimes

1267 Words6 Pages

Emileigh Parker
Mrs. Beason
Hon. English 10/5th period
12 May 2023
Is it the Parent’s Fault? A boy around the age of 14 walked into the grocery store and held the cashier at gunpoint. The police arrived on scene and took the boy into their custody. The young boy spent two months in juvie until his court date arrived. In the courtroom the judge declared that the parents were to blame for their child's actions; they would be held accountable and later be fined. In the law it states that parents have a responsibility to teach and supervise their children under the age of 18. If a minor committed an offensive violent crime that results in time spent in juvenile detention then the parents can be very much held accountable and fined. Parents of …show more content…

The three reasons stated are believed to be wrong by other critics. “Although parents are supposed to supervise and correct their children, they are not to blame for every one of their actions” (“Should Parents Be Held Responsible for the Crimes of Their Children? | Free Essay Example”). A parent should not be blamed for their child's crimes unless they are condoning it, encouraging it, or even taking part in it (Nickson). Holding a parent accountable and punishing them for their child's crime means you are also shifting the blame so it's not on the child anymore (“Should Parents Be Held Responsible for the Crimes of Their Children? | Free Essay Example”). Many parents have different parenting styles so it's hard to really tell whether they weren’t doing their jobs or if they just have different rules in their households. Parents should not be to blame for their children's misbehavior because at the end of the day it was the child’s decision to commit the crime and they got caught and now have to serve the consequences. Blaming the parents creates an out for the child and doesn’t let them become adults who takes responsibility for their actions