Essay/Term paper: Parental rights

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Miscellaneous

Thoughts on the Parental Responsibility Act



Eighteen cases, in 1990, resulted in a parent serving time in

jail for crimes committed by his or her child. In my opinion, I

feel that parents should not be held responsible if his or her

child commits a crime. There are a couple of reasons why I feel

this is not a good law. First, I believe no parent can keep

track of their son or daughter 24 hours a day. In a real world

parents have far more to do than to monitor their child every

minute of the day to make sure he or she is not breaking the law

of some sort. Parents are an important role in a child"s life but

they also have to meet the demands of going to work, attending the

house, and to have a free moments of relaxation. Besides this a

adolescent does not want a nagging parent to know every detail and

thought of what they are doing, with whom, why, when and where.

Secondly I feel that by setting the law that parents serve

the time for their child"s actions goes against a valuable lesson

that is taught to a youngster from when they were young. When I

was growing up, I remember to this day that you are suppose to

take responsibility for your actions. The parental responsibility

law, goes against this valuable teaching. This law does not teach

the adolescent that as becoming a adult they have to accept

certain responsibilities. Instead, it shows that the blame can be

shifted to the not guilty person. Most adolescents today that I

have seen want to be adults by the way they dress, talk, and act.

If they want to be treated as adults then should be able to handle

to take responsibility if they made the wrong choice and broke the

law. Another point is some teenagers might commit a crime to

spite their parents whatever the reason may be.

I also feel that such a law would raise a whole set of

problems. Most parents would be in jail, because most adolescents

do in fact break the law in some way, whether it be underage

drinking or trespassing. Adolescents would be have to be raised

by a relative and goes against the ideas of being a good parent

that this law aims for . A good parent is always there and is not

suppose to be in jail having someone else raise their child.

I do not think this law would work in Worcester,

Massachusetts. As I mentioned above adolescents will use this law

to their advantage. Their is no question in my mind that most

adolescents from when I was growing up, to last year that I worked

with from the Willis program would make demands on their parents.

If such demands are denied, the youth could then turn the tables

so they have the control to threaten the parent of being thrown

behind bars. If an adolescent is stubborn and desperate enough

they will do this.

Another reason why this would not work is because I am sure

alot of parents would fight such a law. Instead of the adolescent

youth of being afraid of parental punishment and control, the

tables will be turned and roles would be reversed.

In conclusion, I feel the parental responsibility law is not

a good law. This law does not teach the adolescent to take

responsibility for his or her actions. Instead the parents have

to serve the time for the law they broke. I also believe this law

would make parents fear their child, with such power of placing a

parent in jail by their actions in their hands.