http://www.ncpc.

org/topics/bullying/strategies/strategyholding-parents-accountable-for-their-children-s-behavior
Strategy
Parents held accountable for their children's delinquent behavior are more likely to reinforce appropriate behavior in
the youth.
Crime Problem Addressed
Nearly 130,000 juveniles were arrested for major violent crimes in 1992. Teenagers are now more likely to be victims
of violent crime than adults over age twenty-five. Over the past fifteen years, use of guns by youthful offenders has
increased by nearly 20 percent. Juvenile offenders are responsible for one-third of all reported property crimes. This
strategy addresses the youth behaviors that lead to status offenses and property crimes by holding parents legally
and financially accountable for their children's actions.
Signs of Success
Following the recommendation of a coalition of local government and grassroots crime-prevention advocates, the city
council in San Antonio, Texas, passed ordinances on juveniles and firearms, a daytime curfew to control truancy, a
late-night curfew for juveniles, and graffiti removal. Each ordinance imposes fines on parents and juveniles. The latenight juvenile curfew helped reduce juvenile crime by 5 percent and juvenile victimization by 43 percent during curfew
hours. In 1993, incidents of violent crime were 19 percent fewer than in 1991. Repeat violations of each ordinance
have become less frequent as parents and youth have seen the penalties imposed.
Applying the Strategy
Silverton, Oregon, has become a model for communities interested in imposing ordinances that hold parents
accountable for their children's behavior. In Silverton parents can be fined up to $1,000 if their child is found carrying
a gun, smoking cigarettes, or using illegal drugs. Parents who agree to attend parenting classes can avoid the fines.
Within the first two months after the law was passed in early 1995, seven parents were fined and many others
registered for parenting classes.
Applying the strategy differently, a crime-prevention group in Mobile, Alabama, proposed state legislation making it a
felony to store a firearm improperly and unsafely in a location accessible to a child.

After not studying for a test, a 10-year-old calls in a fake bomb threat to his school.

https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/laying-blame-parentalresponsibility-for-childrens-misdeeds
An unarmed 15-year-old steals a stereo from an electronics store to resell.
Over a two year period, a 13-year-old sexually assaults an 8-year-old neighbor.
A 17-year-old takes a sawed-off shotgun to school and kills several students and teachers.
In which of these cases, if any, should the parents be held responsible for their children's acts? And
the phrase "held responsible" goes beyond fines or parenting classesit means incarceration.
Slamming Prison Gates on Parents
In reality, the answer depends in part on which state the incident occurred in. To curb gang behavior,
California made it a crime for parents to fail to "exercise reasonable care, supervision, protection,
and control" over their kids. In short, California parents can serve prison time for failing to supervise
their children. And at least 17 other states have similar laws. In fact, at least 36 states hold parents
responsible to some extent when their kids break the law.
Highly publicized juvenile crimeslike school shootingshave increased the awareness of parental
responsibility. However, the concept of parents answering for their children's actions is by no means
new. Legislation holding parents financially responsible for their kids stepping out of line dates back
150 years. Although damage amounts are often limited, parents across the nation can be sued for
their children's crimes.
State Laws Go Beyond Grounding in Punishing Parents
Today, many states have followed California's lead on parental incarceration. Other potential
repercussions for parents include paying juvenile court fees and participating in counseling
programs. States like Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas require parents and juvenile
offenders to perform community service. However, this can also be in addition to
parental incarceration.
The Child Access Prevention (or CAP) laws specifically address kids and guns. These laws penalize
adults with a prison sentence and/or fine when firearms fall into underage hands. Nationally, about a
quarter of the states have CAP or similar laws

http://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/criminaldefense/juvenile/parents-responsibility-childs-criminal-actions
Junior and some of his high school pals broke into a neighbors garage and made off with some expensive tools.
They got busted and now, on top of the headache of hiring a lawyer for junior, you find yourself charged with violating
your parental duty to supervise your child. But you did not even learn of the theft until the cops showed up two days
later. Can you be convicted? The answer is yes.
This article discusses laws making parents responsible for childrens crimes. For information about parents civil
liability for childrens actions, see Parents' Civil Liability for a Child's Act.

Parental Rights, Parental Responsibilities

The U.S. Supreme Court has held that parents have a fundamental right to rear their children without undue
interference by the government. (Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510 (1925.) But, in the same decision, the Court

upheld the power of states to force parents to ensure that their children attend school. So, parenting is by no means
an unfettered right and, as with many rights, it carries significant legal responsibilities.

What Are Parental Responsibility Laws?

Each state imposes legal responsibility on parents and legal guardians for the delinquent and criminal acts of minors
in their charge. Parental responsibility statutes have been in effect in the U.S. for at least 100 years. Many arose out
of or supplemented laws that prohibit contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Such laws rest on the assumption that minors commit crimes because their parents have failed to exercise proper
control and oversight, and that the way to inspire parents to exert the necessary control is to punish them if they
dont.
Public demand for parental responsibility laws has fluctuated over time. The Columbine High School shootings and
other similar incidents have inspired state and local lawmakers to enact parental responsibility laws. In the late 1980s,
California and other states passed laws aimed at reducing what the states saw as an epidemic of gang-related crime
by youths.

Failure to prevent crimes by children

Most parental responsibility statutes punish parents for what they havent done, rather than what they have done. The
laws make parents criminally liable because they have not fulfilled their parental duty to keep their kids from breaking
the law. So, the parent of the juvenile garage thief is not charged for the theft but for letting his child commit it by
failing to exercise proper parental control.

Status crimes
Some parental responsibility laws hold parents legally accountable for allowing their children to engage in conduct
that would not be illegal if done by an adult, such as skipping school (truancy) or breaking curfew laws. Truancy and
curfew violations are considered status crimes, because they penalize conduct that is only illegal based on the
status (in this case, age) of the person engaged in the conduct. As mentioned above, the U.S. Supreme Court has
upheld the power of states to compel school attendance. And parental responsibility to make sure children attend
school is an affirmative duty, meaning that a parent has to actively ensure their attendance. (An exception to
truancy laws has been made for home schooling that meets state standards.)
Courts have also upheld parental responsibility under curfew laws applyed to minors, based on the vulnerability of
children and the public interest in protecting their welfare.

Contributing crimes
Any adult, not merely a parent or guardian, may be prosecuted for contributing to the delinquency of a minor if the
adult encourages or induces the minor to engage in criminal activity. For example, an adult (whether a parent of a
child or not) who furnishes a minor with alcohol will be prosecuted under state law penalizing contributing to the
delinquency of a minor. Unlike parental responsibility for status crimes (which is generally based on negligent
parenting), parental liability under contributing crimes is based on the parent (or other adult) having actually enabled
or induced the minors illegal conduct.

Do parental responsibility laws work?

Studies conducted in Oregon, California, New York, and elsewhere suggest that parental responsibility laws are both
infrequently enforced and of dubious effect when enforced. The laws are viewed by parents rights groups and others
as largely symbolic. Some convicted parents have challenged the constitutionality of these laws, but courts have
ruled in most cases that the states compelling interest in child and public welfare justifies the laws. (Williams v.
Garcetti, 853 P.2d 507 (Cal. 1993).) A common argument by parents is that they are being prosecuted for conduct
they did not condone or even know about. 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.

CALIFORNIA STATUTES REASONABLE PARENT ST ANDARD RULED CONSTITUTIONAL

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.) A group of taxpayers filed a lawsuit to strike down the law as
unconstitutionally vague and an invasion of privacy. The California Supreme Court rejected the taxpayers arguments and upheld
the law, noting that it included a reasonableness standard that parents must meet, which was sufficiently definite. The court
also found that the law promoted the states legitimate interest in addressing adolescent delinquency and particularly gang
activity. (Williams v. Garcetti, 853 P.2d 507 (Cal. 1993).)

How is Violation of Parental R

Debate points

POINT PARENTAL INCENTIVE

Addressing the behavioural problems of children requires active parental participation. However, in many
cases, parents are either not fully aware of their childrens problems, or more importantly, delay the
active disciplining of their children.
This is critical, as for the cycle of negative and positive reinforcement to be effective in behaviour
modification, there must be a temporal link between misbehaviour and any potential punishment. In a
desire to avoid future fines, or whatever the penalty the parents face, there is an active incentive to not
only intervene in the childs misbehaviour, but also to do so in a timely way, which is the most proven
way to change childrens behaviour.
Moreover, if there is any tendency for parents to overlook or avoid the problems of chronically unruly
children, this serves as an impetus for keeping up with discipline notices and paying attention to the
childs infractions.
A lack of parental involvement has for example regularly been cited as being partially to blame for the
riots in the UK during August 2011.[1]
[1] Gentleman, Amelia, UK riots: Being liberal is fine, but we need to be given the right to
parent, guardian.co.uk, 10 August 2011, http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/10/uk-riots-liberalright-parent

POINT - RESPONSIBIITY
In most cases, in which the child is not subject to some sort of constitutional problem (genetic condition
or otherwise), the disruptive behaviour of a child is a reflection of in adequate parental intervention over
time. A normal child under normal circumstances should be expected to conform to behavioural
expectations, and the failure to do so represents a partial inadequate job by the parents.

The result is a cost that is transmitted to society. Children that are disruptive in school or in society via
the criminal justice system cost the system extra money either in school resources and time or judicialpolice resources as well as in the more obvious costs such as fixing vandalism and graffiti.[1]Even worse;
if a student drops out as a result of his discipline problems the cost to society has been estimated as
$232,000-388,000.[2]Given that the parent is in part to blame for failing to control the childs behaviour,
in the time during which the parent is the primary custodian of the child, it is fair to pass on a measure of
this cost to the parent.
[1] Batten, George, The Main Cause of School Budget Problems is School Discipline, School Discipline
Made Easy,http://www.schooldisciplinemadeeasy.com/?p=42
[2] Hymel, Shelley, and Henderson, Natalie Rocke, Helping Students who are Experiencing Persistent
and/or Serious Discipline Problems to Succeed in School: The State of the Evidence, Ontario Ministry of
Education Research Symposium, 18-20 January 2006,http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/research/hymel.pdf

POINT = 1
Parents raised their child, teaching them right from wrong, so they are morally responsible.

Parents are the "leaders" of their child. Parents should watch over their children and teach them how life
works. If they don't teach well, their children might just ignore their parents, but it's up to the parent to
correct that behavior. For example, a student is done with school for the day, but he comes home to an
empty house because his parents are at work. All of a sudden, he climbs on a car and starts stomping on
that car. Well, it is the parents' responsibility because his parents should have come home to supervise or
found an after-school program. Also, if a parent starts saying bad words, their children might follow from
their parents' poor behavior. Again, it comes down to it being the parents' fault for not being a good role
model
Parents,who are known as "leaders"

Parents should watch over their children and teach them how life works. If they don't teach well, their
children might just ignore their parents. For example, a student is done with school and his parents aren't
there yet. And all of a sudden he starts climbing a car and starts stomping on the car. Well, it is the
parent's responsibility because his parents should have came early. Also, if a parent starts saying bad
words, their children might follow. That is how they teach poorly.
Children learn from their parents, psychologically speaking.

Several studies in develpomental psychology have found that children are, esentially, a blank slate.
Granted, there are several traits that are inborn or inhereted, but mostly children learn right and wrong
through observation of others. Until they are of schooling age, their parents are the predominate role
models in a child's life. Whether or not the child is taught integrity and morals is the responsibility of the
parent. It is hoped that the parents can instill a strong enough sense of right and wrong so that by the
time the child is exposed to other sources, their moral compass is secure.

Therefore, I believe that parents are responsible for their children's actions, as they are the root of their
character.
Minors lack capacity to understand responsibility.

Minors (0-18) lack the capacity to understand responsibility and the probable consequences of any
actions. It is the job of the parent to provide their children with guidance as to building that matureness
and capacity of responsibility. Education starts from home; any behaviors of the parents directly affect
the children psychologically and in terms of development. There is an action and a reaction. Children's
actions are stimulated by their personality and behavior, which is undoubtedly shaped from their parents
and their parents behavior Even when the child is an adult, they have their parents to thank for their
upbringing. Therefore FULL responsibility goes to the parents of the behavioral and ethical construction
of their children. Besides families are the building blocks of society and the generations perpetuate a
circle of similar family traits and behaviors.

Psychological views supporting behaviors and why

parents must be held responsible
http://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html

How parents handle everyday marital conflicts has a significant effect

on how secure their children feel, which, in turn, significantly affects
their future emotional adjustment.
http://www.news-medical.net/news/2006/02/16/15993.aspx
This finding, from researchers at the universities of Notre Dame, Rochester (NY) and
Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., was published in the January/February
2006 issue of the journal Child Development. It provides powerful new evidence regarding
the impact of parental behavior on children's future behavior.
"A useful analogy is to think about emotional security as a bridge between the child and the
world," explained lead researcher Mark Cummings, Ph.D., professor and Notre Dame Chair
in Psychology of the Psychology Department of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.
"When the marital relationship is functioning well, it serves as a secure base, a structurally
sound bridge to support the child's exploration and relationships with others."
"When destructive marital conflict erodes the bridge, children may lack confidence and
become hesitant to move forward, or may move forward in a dysregulated way, unable to
find appropriate footing within themselves or in interaction with others." The researchers
based their report on two separate long-term studies of marital conflict and children.
The first study involved 226 parents and their 9- to-18-year-old children. The researchers
examined the effect of marital conflict over three years, finding that forms of destructive
marital conflict, such as personal insults, defensiveness, marital withdrawal, sadness or
fear, set in motion events that led to later emotional insecurity and maladjustment in

children, including depression, anxiety, and behavior problems. This occurred even when
the researchers controlled for any initial adjustment problems.
The second study again examined the connection between marital conflict and emotional
problems over a three-year period, this time in a different group of 232 parents and much
younger children (kindergarteners). Researchers again found that marital conflict sets in
motion events that led to later emotional insecurity and maladjustment. Again, researchers
controlled for any initial adjustment problems, further supporting the conclusion that marital
conflict was related with children's emotional insecurity and adjustment problems.
Both studies involved representative community samples and everyday conflict behaviors
(for example, verbal hostility) about everyday sources of conflict between parents, such as
childcare and household responsibilities. Because of this, the findings can likely be
generalized to most American families.
Parents and even mental health professionals are likely unaware of the significance of
marital conflict for the well-being of children, said Dr. Cumming, and few may know that
children's security is so closely tied to the quality of parental relationships. At the same
time, however, other work from Dr. Cummings and his peers find that constructive marital
conflict, in which parents express or engage in physical affection, problem solving,
compromise or positive feelings, may increase children's security. "Thus," Dr. Cummings
noted, "this study is a warning to strongly encourage parents to learn how to handle
conflicts constructively for the sake of both their children and themselves."

Batten, George, The Main Cause of School Budget Problems is School Discipline, School Discipline Made
Easy,http://www.schooldisciplinemadeeasy.com/?p=42
BBC News, Mother jailed for girls truancy, 2002, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1984502.stm
Behaviour Problems in Children and Adolescents, Childrens Mental Health
Ontario,http://www.kidsmentalhealth.ca/parents/behaviour.php
Gentleman, Amelia, UK riots: Being liberal is fine, but we need to be given the right to
parent, guardian.co.uk, 10 August 2011, http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/10/uk-riots-liberalright-parent
Hymel, Shelley, and Henderson, Natalie Rocke, Helping Students who are Experiencing Persistent and/or
Serious Discipline Problems to Succeed in School: The State of the Evidence, Ontario Ministry of
Education Research Symposium, 18-20 January 2006, http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/research/hymel.pdf
Pawel, Jody Johnston, Child Abuse of Discipline: What is the Difference?, Parents
Toolshop,http://www.parentstoolshop.com/HTML/tips8.htm
Robinson, Virginia, Bridging the gap between school and home, Raising Achievement Update, July
2008,http://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/bridging-gap-between-school-an...
http://www.legalzoom.com/everyday-law/home-leisure/laying-blame-parental-responsibility Outlines
some of the laws that have been implemented that are relevant.
http://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/reform/ch2_d.html Some more case studies and reactions to such laws in the
past.