Should parents be held responsible legally and financially for crimes committed by their children under age eighteen?
Now more than ever, children are increasingly getting involved in criminal acts. Young children under the age of eighteen are committing different criminal offenses, from theft to murder in learning institutions and in their home neighborhoods. Child abuse and victimization are believed to be the main contributing factors to criminal behavior among children. There has been ongoing debate on the responsibility of the parents regarding criminal offences committed by their children under the age of eighteen. Some people are of the view that children below the age of eighteen should be sued and jailed like adults when they commit crimes while others are of the view that parents should be held responsible, legally and financial, for the crimes committed by their children.
Many court systems in the present time do not punish children for the crimes that they commit; they shift the blame to parents instead. In most cases, such parents are law abiding citizens who try their best to guide and correct their children. Even so, the courts keep on faulting parents who had no part to play in the crime or were not even aware of it. Parents are accused of neglecting their parental duty and even sent to jail for the crimes committed by their children. Meanwhile, the child who committed the crime is taken back home without a parent to guide him or her. Parents have also had to pay fines for crimes committed by their children.
My view is that parents should not be held responsible for crimes committed by their children under the age of eighteen. Children know the difference between bad and good, right and wrong and are fully aware of the consequences of committing a crime. Therefore, they should be held responsible for their own actions, and face the full force of the law when they engage in criminal activities. Children should be sued and taken to correctional facilities when they commit crimes, just like adults. However, they should be taken to juvenile jails and only transferred to adult jails when they attain the age of 21. For minor crimes that require fines, children should find temporary jobs so that they can raise the money to pay the fines. By doing this, children will learn to be responsible by learning from their mistakes.
The role of parents is to care for their children, to guide them and to counsel them. Guidance involves telling their children what activities not to engage in. Therefore, children who commit crime do so in disobedience to their parents and should therefore face the consequences of their actions. I believe that there is no parent who would tell their child to steal, kill, or engage in any other form of crime. All parents want the best for their children and hence none of them would direct their children to commit unlawful activities. Further, there is no specific formula for raising a child which will guarantee that he or she will grow up to be a principled and well-rounded citizen. This is attributable to the fact that everyone, including children, has a free will which is expressed individually. It is possible for a child to be rebellious and engage in crime even when he or she has been brought up well, by caring, loving and supportive parents.
The behavior of a child may be influenced by other people other than his or her parents. Other family members, friends, neighbors, teachers, and even celebrities influence the thoughts and behaviors of children. In fact, children spend more time in school with their teachers and fellow students than they do with their parents. It is hence likely that teachers have more influence on the behavior of children than parents. As a result of technological advancements, both children and adults alike have access to so much information through the internet which they can easily access using mobile phones, a variety of hand-held devices and computers. With such devices, it is not practical for parents to monitor their children activities on the internet and the people they interact with at all times.
Blaming parents and holding them responsible for the criminal activities of their children does not and will not solve the problem of juvenile crime. In fact, it adds to the problem. First, if a parent is put in jail for his or her child’s criminal actions, the child will lack parental guidance and care for the period that the parent is in jail. This is especially so for children who are raised by single parents. Secondly, if children are not held responsible for the crimes that they commit, they are likely to repeatedly engage in criminal activities. Conversely, if a child is sent to a correctional facility or forced to work, he or she is likely to reform and become a law-abiding citizen. Lastly, children who may be contemplating crime are likely to change their mind if they see their peers being punished for their criminal activities. On the contrary, if parents are held responsible for their children actions, other children may deliberately engage themselves in criminal activities knowing that they will not suffer any consequences. School shootings and theft have been on the rise in the recent past and this trend is likely to continue if children are not held responsible for their own actions.
If children learn to be responsible at an early age, the overall crime rate is likely to reduce significantly. As they become adults, such children will not want to find themselves on the wrong side of the law for fear of punishment. Patterns of criminal behavior often begin in childhood and teenage years. If such behaviors go unpunished, children are likely to become criminal offenders even into their adulthood. Holding children responsible for their criminal acts is therefore a good strategy for preventing crime at an early age.
There is no doubt that parents have great influence on their children and their behaviors may contribute to their children’s actions. For instance, parents who are preoccupied with work and other activities may not have enough time to meet the emotional needs of their children. As a result, such children may act out. Parents should therefore be available to their children as much as possible, listen to their problems and advise them accordingly. This will go a long way in preventing juvenile crime in the first place. School administrators should also develop positive after-school programs and more efficient school systems that promote positive behavioral development of school going children. Juvenile prisons should develop effective detention programs to teach and promote positive behavior.
References
Whitehead, J. T. (2003). Juvenile Justice: An Introduction. Anderson.
