Why aren't parents held responsible for their children's criminal offences?

[Nat6999]

news.sky.com/story/boy-12-arrested-on-suspicion-of-murder-after-woman-hit-by-car-in-sheffield-12851331

Last night in the nearby area to me a 60 year old woman was killed by a 12 year old who was trying to steal her car. It is a lovely area where it happened, my brother lives round the corner, as you can imagine it has been a massive shock to residents.

A 12 year old boy has been charged with murder, he ran her over with the car as she tried to stop him taking the car, it happened at 7.30pm & she died at the scene. Why aren't parents held responsible for their son's actions? He was armed with a knife as well. If my son had been involved with crime at that age I would have known, he wasn't allowed out unless I knew where he was & who he was with, is it that some parents just don't care?

I think a better strategy would be for youth offending and social care to work more closely and for more input in early intervention with these families.
By the time a child has committed a serious offence it’s already too late.

Absolutely. Investment in services like CAMHS, Social Services etc is a commitment that needs to be made to reduce the odds of incidents like this but children are not a priority as the case where the man got away with raping a 13 year old proves.

Totally naive of some posters to suggest always the parents fault. As a teacher of course i teach some kids with issues where the parents also have issues, but I have also taught many families where most of the kids are working hard and doing well and 1 is off the rails for some reason, almost certainly not related to the their parenting.

I'm guessing perhaps the parents of the 12 year old echoed your thoughts until yesterday.
Once our children are out of sight none of us know what they're getting up to. My children are adults with children of their own now but have since shared some of their antics back in the day- some of which I would not have approved of.
They were brought up in a good home, had all the opportunities going that we could afford, medium income family, were taught values and respect but still crossed the line at times it would seem.

Because people, including children, have free will and autonomy in many respects. And although the actions of others may influence the choices we make, ultimately they are our choices and others cannot be held responsible for them.

It's too complicated. Yes they could be crap parents who don't care, but it's not always that simple.

Sometimes children from good families go off the rails. Yes they should have control over a 12 year old, but let's say the parents were working all the hours to pay the bills.

They might have other children to look after that aren't getting into trouble. What happens to them if you jail the parents?

They could have learning difficulties or disabilities and be doing their best.

I am playing devils advocate of course.

SunshineGeorgie

www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.thestar.co.uk/news/crime/boy-15-stabbed-death-streets-sheffield-was-exploited-gangs-after-being-left-out-education-report-finds-1556184&ved=2ahUKEwiYgsX2hpb-AhXXQkEAHVV-CUYQFnoECAcQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1lkugVCniOWHQc7UCQy86E

@Whichnumbers

Could you state your source for that number
I think you are massively over stating it

you only have to think about this for about 30 seconds to realise it’s fucking stupid and wouldn’t work. You sound dim.

It’d be expensive and of very little use once the crime has occurred.

Far better to spend money trying to intervene and support kids of useless or neglectful parents whilst they’re still young. At least then you’ve a chance of doing some good.

It’s not always as simple as shit parenting.

My paternal grandparents brought up four children. Two are/were thoroughly decent people. Brilliant parents, decent partners, good jobs, responsible and kind people. One is decent but a bit selfish. Nothing majorly bad, but a bit selfish with anyone other than their children. They are a good parent. Then there was my father. We were moved to live with sad grandparents when 7yo me told my teacher, in a very matter of fact way because it was normal for us, about my brother getting in trouble the night before and my father burning him with the iron as punishment.

It’s also now strongly suspected that my father was responsible for a few horrific nasty crimes against women going back to his teens.

It’s rarely as black and white as shit parenting imo.

When you mean parents you mean mostly the mothers. Because in many such cases the fathers have long gone.

What a fucking stupid ignorant post.

Shame on you OP.

Right, and what about the shitty parents of the shitty parents? People who were raised without love, care, boundaries, etc, don't know how to raise their own kids differently.

I believe that if a child is in possession of something illegal that the parent should be held responsible for that in itself.

Cigarettes, alcohol, energy drinks, weapons, drugs, etc

I don’t think for their actions though. Everyone is capable of making a bad a split second decision with massive consequences for other people. Kids probably more so as they scientifically lack the ability to process such information with speed and total consideration.

It’s reported that this child was in care. Are the local authority going to be held responsible? Social workers?

I thought the concept of criminal responsibility was such that it assumes the human is responsible for their choices 🤷🏼‍♀️

Because it would be fucking stupid

I believe that if a child is in possession of something illegal that the parent should be held responsible for that in itself.

Cigarettes, alcohol, energy drinks, weapons, drugs, etc

How do you deal with parents not together with that? My ex and I had very different standards of what we’d accept from our girls. Would I be held responsible for something he allowed them to do even though I had no choice but to make them available to him as per the court order (hypothetic obviously as he didn’t bother his arse most of the time).

Then you have situations like my childhood. Technically by the time my brother went off the rails we were the responsibility of our grandparents, having been removed from our parents. However, he was 13 when we were taken. So if he got caught with a knife or drugs at 15 would it actually have been fair to hold them responsible?

It’s far too simplistic.

@Nat6999 you mustn’t live too far from me. It’s absolutely horrific isn’t it and I completely agree- wtf has happened in this boys life for him to do this at 12?! The fact he could even drive a car…. It’s terrible.

Samuel Baker.

It was all over local news. I knew exactly who OP was talking about just from her small post. You clearly don’t live anywhere near here or you wouldn’t, for some bizarre reason, think this wasn’t true.

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/crime/boy-15-stabbed-death-streets-sheffield-was-exploited-gangs-after-being-left-out-education-report-finds-1556184

How dare you, you have no idea at all, clearly, what some parents go through. But yep blame them.

Because he’s above the age of criminal responsibility, he knew precisely what he was doing and he chose to do it.

At age 12 it’s quite right that he’s been arrested. Nothing to do with his parents. Some kids are just psychos and grow up to do evil stuff. I know someone who murdered her mother while she was still a child. Was that the mother’s fault?! The mother was lovely but the daughter was a psycho from day 1 and went on to kill again when she was eventually released.

Why are you speculating like this when the matter is sub judice?

There are many things wrong in the world. What are you actually doing about them?

Besides coming up with ridiculous,unworkable and unfair ideas?

I know the parent of a young offender (death related) and she worked fucking hard to try and keep him on the straight and narrow.

Sure sometimes the parents don't give a shit, but not always