Who Should Be Held Responsible When The Kids Do The Crime? by:Wendy Stenberg-Tendys

The long argued debate over parents paying for their kid's crimes was opened

up again when the Los Angeles City Council was scheduled to discuss passing a law that would hold parents financially responsible for the graffiti vandalism caused by their children.

Under the new law, parents would be cited for such vandalism, and the proceeds would be used to help clean and recondition destroyed property. Parents also would be forced to enroll in parenting classes.

Lee Baca, L.A. County Sheriff announced the arrest of two adults and 10 juveniles in an anti-graffiti sweep, which targeted two particular districts in the city.

An Australian court, in July 2004, ordered the parents, of two teenagers, to pay (on an appeal) $60,000 to the owners of two properties, set alight by the teenagers. They had caused $400,000 worth of damage and one of the homes had to be totally rebuilt. The ruling is believed to be an Australian legal first.

The judge, Denis Reynolds, ruled that the parents had generally been responsible around the time of the arson attacks. However, he added, the parents had not been adequate in their supervision of their children, who were using amphetamines and cannabis, besides drinking alcohol.

Judge Reynolds stated that the demand to pay, was not to be looked at as further punishment to the parents.

Kalgoolie lawyer, Carmel McKenzie, the lawyer representing the teenagers' parents, argued her clients acted appropriately and responsibly during the period of the children's upbringing. She said the parents did not deserve to be punished for their crimes of their children. She went on to say, "We're used to, in our society, people being punished for what they have done but the concept of punishing somebody for something somebody else has done is obviously an unusual situation".

"At the end of the day", said one of the victims of the fire, "These are your children and they are your responsibility whether you like it or whether you don't".

Others would however argue that the custodian cannot be held responsible for deliberate actions committed by the child unless there is proof that the child was specifically led to the end result that a crime was committed.

While the argument over whether parents should be held responsible for their children's crimes has raged for many years, Texas passed ordinances that imposed fines on both the parents and the underage criminals.

In Silverton, Oregon, the first state to adopt such a law in 1995, 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 sidestep the fines.

Within the first two months after the law came into being in early 1995, seven parents were fined and many others enrolled into parenting classes. The Oregon law applies to parents "failing to supervise a child". It covers transgression such as breaking a curfew or skipping school. Fines extend up to $1,000, with a payment of up to $2,500 to a victim. Since the law was adopted, juvenile crime rate has dropped by 53%.

Thirty-three states, across America, now require parents to pay retribution for crimes committed by their children.

About the author

Dr Wendy Stenberg-Tendys and her husband are CEO's of YouMe Support Foundation (http://youmesupport.org) providing high school education grants for children who are without hope. Kids with education, particularly in third world countries, are less likely to end up committing crimes. Take a few minutes to check out how you could be part of this exciting project (http://winareosrt.com).

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