Parental Responsibility & Minor Children
Most parents work and, in general, are unaware of their children’s activities and whereabouts a large percentage of the time. The parent who calls to check up on their child or continually drives to their alleged location to ensure of their whereabouts is rare. Therefore, in light of new legislation in many states that holds parents accountable for the criminal actions of their minor children should be revoked from the law books.
Traditionally in the American criminal justice system “American law holds people responsible for crimes only if they actively participate, aid, or abet in them” (Glaberson 1). Despite this tradition and legal precedence, the increasing rate of juvenile crimes, particularly violent crimes, has led many states to enact legislation holding parents responsible for the criminal actions of their minor children. States like Minnesota, Oregon, Florida, and others have enacted parental responsibility legislation that hold parents accountable for their children’s delinquent behavior and requires them to pay fines or attend court or classes. The law in Minnesota “holds each parent liable up to $1,000 if their minor child willfully or maliciously injures another person or damages property” (Simpson 1). Yet, the parents who are sued often have no idea what their children are doing or where they are doing it at. Most criminal cases involving minors involve children from low-income, single-parents homes. These children are often left on their own for long periods of time while their single parent works, one who cannot afford baby-sitters or the like. As such, these parents who are hardworking and not on welfare are encouraged to remain home by such laws and accept welfare in order to monitor their minor children. Even the low levels of liability set by parental legislation in many states demonstrates that the justic
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