Should parents be held responsible when young children commit crimes?

Responses (3)

Yes they should and they usually are.

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Can you elaborate that in terms of what they are to be blamed?

Well parents are responsible for their children and they are responsible how they are being raised. That includes teaching them right from wrong, manners, how to behave and so on. That also includes teaching children not to hurt and harm others and other property. If a minor commits a crime then the parent has failed in their job to teach the child properly and therefore they are repsonsible. :-)

There is no question about it, the foundation for wholesome moral conduct must be laid early in life by parents. They, rather than the schools, must primarily be involved in teaching their children moral values if a reversal of the escalating violence is to occur. Yet, neither parents nor schools are meeting the challenge of violence, or at least not enough of them are.
Parents should monitor the programs their children watch because children fail to understand that screen violence is not real and have the impression that murder is a “day-to-day affair.” Many children are inured to violence and have few qualms about perpetrating it themselves. There is hope under another kingdom(government)
(Matthew 6:9, 10).
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Not necessarily. I'd say it depends on the kind of environment the child was raised it; another factor may be in how the parent lived his/her life and perhaps the make up of the child. The Bible offers this counsel for parents found at Ephesians 6:4 "And fathers, do not be irritating your children, but go on bringing them up in the discipline and admonition of Jehovah." An advantage is that by making the home havens of love where parents put away all anger and wrath and abusive speech, children can learn vital lessons about how to show love and how to respect authority. Of course, if the child is inclined to badness, it doesn't mean the parents have failed in this regard.

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