“Taking Responsibility”

Robbery, rape, assault, murder, theft, and vandalism: These are just a handful of the crimes committed by children today. Whether the crime be violent or non violent, the crime rate of adolescents under eighteen has increased. Crimes like these have caused people to ponder the question: Should parents be responsible, legally and financially for crimes committed by their children under eighteen? Some believe that parents should not be held accountable for the crime their child commits. Others believe that parents should be responsible for their children’s actions. Parents should be held responsible for their children’s crimes because parents should teach their children what is right from wrong at a young age and they should be more involved in their children’s lives and be concerned with the people and places that he or she is associated with.
On the other hand, some people determine that if a child under eighteen commits a crime, their parents should not take responsibility for it. When parents discipline a child too much, the child is likely to be rebellious and go against their parents’ wishes. There are parents that have done all that they could and in spite of that, their child gets into criminal activity. The opposing view also believes that even when parents are involved in their child’s life, there are other factors that corrupt a child into committing crime. Society and the media have a great influence on how children act. Peer pressure is another factor that may cause a child to commit a crime. Overall, a parent cannot control their child’s decisions and should not be held liable for their children’s actions.
Parents should be held responsible legally and financially for crimes committed by their children under age eighteen because parents should teach their children what is right from wrong at an early age. If parents do not discipline their children for doing the wrong thing, how will their children ever learn from their mistakes? (Rhetorical