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Why Should Parents Pay When Kids Do The Crime?
The old argument has opened up afresh of kids committing a crime and the parents paying, with the Los Angeles City Council scheduled to debate adopting an ordinance that would hold parents financially accountable for the graffiti vandalism created by their kids.
The proposed law would see parents fined for their kid’s acts of vandalism and the monies used to help clean and restore vandalized property. Parents also would be asked to take part 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.
Parents being held responsible for the crimes committed by their kids, first took place in July 2004. An Australian court ruled that the parents, (on an appeal) had to pay $60,000 to the owners of two properties, which two teenagers had set on fire, resulting in $400,000 worth of damage. One of the homes had to be completely demolished. The ruling is believed to be an Australian legal first.
Judge Denis Reynolds said, in his summing up, the parents had generally been responsible around the time of the arson attacks. He added however, they had failed to give their children adequate supervision. The teenagers were using amphetamines and cannabis, as well as drinking alcohol.
Judge Reynolds stated that the order to pay, was not to be looked at as further punishment to the parents.
The lawyer representing the teenagers’ parents said her clients acted appropriately and responsibly during their children’s upbringing. Kalgoolie lawyer, Carmel McKenzie argued that parents do not need to be punished for their children’s crimes. She said, “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, these are your children and they are your responsibility whether you like it or whether you don’t”, one of the victims of the fire stated.
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
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specifically led to the end result that a crime was committed.
The debate over whether parents should or should not be held liable for the crimes of their kids has been around for many years. Texas passed laws that inflicted penalties on both the parents and the underage kids.
Silverton, Oregon, was the first state to adopt this type of law in 1995, where parents can now be fined as much as $1,000 if their child is found carrying a gun, smoking cigarettes, or using illegal drugs. Parents who agree to take part in parenting classes can dodge 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%.
In thirty-three states, across America, local judges can require parents to pay compensation for crimes committed by their kids.
By: Lynette Thomas
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Dr Wendy Stenberg-Tendys and her husband are CEO’s of YouMe Support Foundation (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 (winaresort.com).
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