Is it time for parents to be held responsible?

[davidtaylorjr]

This is such a tragic story . . .



Two teens charged with murder of Australian college baseball player

I don't know what kind of supervision these kids had . . . whether they had involved parents or not . . . whether their parents had tried to get them help if they had previous records. I don't know a whole damned lot here.

But I know this is tragic. And these kinds of shootings happen all too frequently.

Should parents be held culpable in some way when their kids break the law if it can be shown they acted negligently as parents?

No, definitely not. At the end of the day those teens knew it was wrong.

 

[SMTA]

I'm not sure. Each case would be different. And maybe most of the time parents aren't culpable. But let's say this: The shooter is driving a car provided by the parents. He used a gun available at his parents' home. He has a juvie record. Neighbors testify he's often out at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning. He dropped out of school. Cops search his room in the course of the investigation into this crime and find a stash of drugs. Neighbors testify that, while his parents are out, he has kids over for drunken parties. Cops have been called to his home a number of times.

Is a parent wrong to enable a teenager like this? Should they have sought help for him? Made sure he was properly supervised? Reported him out after curfew if they couldn't handle him? Gotten him counseling? Taken away his car? Made sure he didn't have illegal drugs in their home? A gun stash?

As I write this, I realize how difficult it would be. But I know that many parents enable their wild-childs. That they just don't give a damn.

*shrug*

Nothing that you listed would be probable cause to charge for anything.

'Enabling' is not illegal.

So now you champion writing new laws, very vaguely, to make enabling a crime?

 

[sawyerloggingon]

The only way parents can have full control of their kids is to keep them locked in a cage, then the parents go to jail. It's a no win situation for parents with bad seed kids.

 

[radcen]

This is such a tragic story . . .



Two teens charged with murder of Australian college baseball player

I don't know what kind of supervision these kids had . . . whether they had involved parents or not . . . whether their parents had tried to get them help if they had previous records. I don't know a whole damned lot here.

But I know this is tragic. And these kinds of shootings happen all too frequently.

Should parents be held culpable in some way when their kids break the law if it can be shown they acted negligently as parents?

I understand the sentiment, but I would have to say 'no' as well.

Maybe if we gave parents back the full right to BE parents...