The introduction

Parental responsibility for children misconduct Number Parental responsibility for children misconductParents play a pivotal role in raising a child whether or not the behaviour of the child is deviant. In light of this, the problem issue is whether parents should be held responsible for their children’s behaviour that has led them to jail (Richardson, 2000). Children’s illegal activities can be traced to genetic components which they inherit from their parents in addition to poor upbringing. It is likely that if parents are held responsible for their childrens misconduct before they are mature enough to be held liable for their own deviance, parents will be obliged to give their children a better upbringing. This reasoning has formed the basis of different pieces of legislation providing for parental liability in order to ensure that children’s rights are observed.
In juvenile delinquency cases that reach the court, judges normally find children culpable for criminal offenses, but it is the parents who show responsibility by settling any fines, costs or damages ordered by the court (Richardson, 2000). This is especially true because most children do not have the financial capacity to defray such costs. Holding parents liable for their minor’s misconduct can be the ultimate remedy for curbing juvenile delinquency and other deviant traits, since such parents would rather initiate appropriate corrective measures for their children’s deviance at the earliest opportunity possible than meet hefty costs and the agony of a child locked up in jail later on in life.
Under the fear of being held liable, responsible parents normally send their children to school and guide them through shunning deviant behaviours. In light of the huge parental impact on a child’s psychological wellbeing in the course of their growth and development, imposing punitive measures upon parents is the surest way of nurturing good behaviour of children.
Reference
Richardson, K. R. (2000). Parental liability and the criminal misconduct of children in the wake of an unregulated internet: who should pay? Cardozo Womens Law Journal, 7, 29.