As the crime rate in young adolescent’s increase, the common question that emerges is: Who or what is responsible? Some believe, the child themselves is responsible, whether it be because of some biological or chemical imbalance or just simply a disregard of right from wrong. Others believe, a child’s actions are influenced solely on their environment and their authority figures – like their parents. Often times, parents are the main contributors to their children’s wrongdoings. If the above is true, then parents should be held responsible both financially and criminally for the acts committed by their minor children. Enforcing parents to take responsibility over the actions done by their child would in turn reinforce appropriate behavior in the youth, thus decreasing crime rate.
According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, in 1971, the percent of arrests accounted for by people between the ages of 11 to 17 was reported to range from a total of 52.6% in motor vehicle theft, to 10.2% in willful homicide. Compared to the percent of arrests in the 18 to 24-year-old age group, the numbers do not differ much. 31.3% of motor vehicle thefts and 33.9% of willful homicides were committed by people between the ages of 18 to 24. “Juvenile offenders are responsible for one-third of all reported property crimes (NCPC).” The National Crime Prevention Council states that teenagers are now more likely to commit violent crimes than adults over the age of 25. If children are now as likely to commit crimes as adults, it is necessary we seek an explanation. Parents are the main influencers in a child’s life. Any crimes and/or troublesome behavior should be held accountable to the parents.
Juvenile delinquency is defined as the crimes committed by children and youth (LawTeacher). It is understood that juvenile delinquency is usually due to the child themselves, parents, educational institutions, and society itself. According to the article, “Who Should Be Responsible for Juvenile Delinquency”, responsibility for the acts of a minor can lie within the parents. They can either be blamed for negligence or can be blamed for not giving the child an appropriate upbringing. “It could be argued that the parents are the people who are fully responsible for the upbringing of their child, therefore, there might be a degree of accountability associated to them (LawTeacher).”
“Your child breaks a person’s window with a baseball, you will have to pay for it. It’s a no brainer (Charing Ball).” If your child breaks or damages something you are responsible for fixing and/or replacing the item. This is a common standard held by many parents. It is the seemingly correct action to take. A parent cannot choose to ignore the wrong doings of their child and expect minimal repercussions. It seems acceptable for someone to face punishments, like jail time and/or mandatory parental skills training, if they have failed in their parental responsibility- to teach their child right from wrong.
A parent’s main job is to disciple their kids correctly and to correct any signs of troublesome behavior. “The U.S. Supreme Court had held that parents have a fundamental right to rear their children without undue interference by the government. (Deborah C. England.).” A parent who fails to exercise control and dominance over their children should be held responsible over their children’s actions. In recent years, any adult can be prosecuted for contributing in any way to the delinquency of a minor. “It is a misdemeanor in California for a parent to fail to fulfill his or her “duty to exercise reasonable care, supervision, protection, and control over their minor child (Cal. Penal Code 272).” According to the article, “Parental Responsibility for a Child’s Criminal Actions”, written by Deborah C. England, “each state has given responsibility to parents and legal guardians for the delinquent and criminal acts of minors in their charge.” Parental responsibility laws are held up to the belief that the minors who commit these crimes are influenced by their parent’s failed control and influence over them. Holding parent’s accountable for the actions done by their children would reinforce appropriate behavior.
On October 20th, 2012 Autumn Pasquale, a 12-year-old girl, was found murdered and stuffed in a trashcan. Autumn was lured to the home of two brothers: Justin Robinson, age 15, and Dante Robinson, age 17. According to Anthony Pasquale, Autumn’s father, “Autumn had been beaten, strangled to death and stuffed in a trashcan.” Justin Robinson was found guilty and faced a 17-year prison sentence for the murder of Autumn Pasquale. Dante Robinson, the oldest brother would be freed due to lack of DNA evidence. After his daughter’s death, Pasquale filed a lawsuit against the Robinson brother’s parents and proposed a law called “Autumn’s law”. This law aimed to make parents viable for the actions of their children. In his post, “Autumn’s Law- Hold Abusive/Neglectful Parents Accountable”, Pasquale states that minor children are not born murderers. The children are cultivated. He believes that in Autumn’s case, her murder was no exception. In his article he continuously explains why Justin Robinson is not the only one to blame. His parents were a huge influence on his actions leading up to and after the murder. If the parents had given him appropriate care and discipline, Pasquale believes his daughter would still be alive.
To support his claim, Pasquale states that Justin learned his behavior from his father. “Robinson had witnessed his own father choke his mother. These parents, knowing their child(ren) already had serious mental disorders, exposed them to violence in the home. The most influential person in Robinson’s life, his same sex parent, taught him the act of strangulation. (Pasquale).” Pasquale, and many others that support this law, insist that parents who neglect and/or ignore the warning signs of their children are often contributors to their children’s crimes. Autumn’s law proposed that “abusive and/or neglectful parents who have custody of their children be criminally responsible for murders committed by their minor children, when they know or should have known the propensity toward violence existed.” It is the primary responsibility of the parent to guide and teach their children right from wrong and to minimize any risks when abnormal behavior is shown.
Parental figures have always played a huge influential role in shaping a child’s behavior. “Most children learn moral and ethical values from their parents and other family members (NoBullying.com).” Juvenile delinquency is most seen in children that come from broken or troubled homes. Parents should be invested enough in their children’s lives to be aware of any potential problems their children may be experiencing.
“A common argument by parents is that they are being prosecuted for conduct they did not condone or even know about (Deborah C. England).” According to the article, “Parental Responsibility for a Child’s Criminal Actions”, by Deborah C. England, she states that parents often think that they cannot be held responsible for their children’s crimes if they did not know they were going to do them. England states, “These arguments are generally unsuccessful, as long as the statute punishes parents for conduct by their children that a reasonably attentive parent should have known about and prevented.”
The above are valid arguments, however a parent should still be held responsible for a child’s action regardless if under their supervision or not. “Parenting comes with responsibilities and one of those is to raise your kids right, to pay attention and know when they’re a danger to someone else. That’s a parent’s job. (Pasquale).” When a child is getting proper parenting, they know better than to do something that is morally incorrect or something that endangers others. It is a parent’s responsibility to teach their child right from wrong and correct any alarming behavior. If a parent successfully does their job, the child will know that the behaviors enforced by their parents also apply to others and the outside world.
Juvenile delinquency rates have had an alarming increase. One can put the blame on a variety of different things but the main contributor are the children’s parents. Parents continuously shape the lives of their children. They teach them how to behave and how to distinguish right from wrong. Parents should be held accountable for their child’s crimes. Only then, could we see crime rates in minor’s decrease.