Parent's Responsibility for Juvenile Delinquents

According to About Juvenile Delinquents, a juvenile delinquent is a child between the ages of 7 and 16 that commits a crime which would be considered serious if the child had been an adult. It has long been felt that juvenile delinquents are the product of poor parenting. Therefore, laws have been incorporated to hold a parent responsible for the actions of his children.

  1. Civil Liabilities

    • When a civil lawsuit is filed, the person who has been wronged is suing the offender for recovery of damages. In some cases, a criminal and a civil case may both be filed for the same crime. When a juvenile delinquent is involved, the parents are held civilly responsible for their child's actions. Because parents are responsible for raising their children to be upstanding citizens, the wronged person could file a civil suit against the parents. The actual damages for which a parent would be liable, however, varies by state.

    Criminal Liabilities

    • Based on the crime that a child committed, the parents may be criminally responsible for the actions. However, to be held criminally liable, more than simply being the child's parent is needed to hold the parents responsible. The court must prove that the parent contributed to the child's criminal act, whether by providing materials, either knowingly or unknowingly, or the behavior of the parent leading to the child's crime. According the California statute on the issue, the parent is responsible for providing reasonable care, supervision and control over her child. Failure to do so can result in criminal charges being brought against her as well.

    Financial Liabilities

    • Parents are financially responsible for their children until they turn 18. That financial responsibility extends to being financially responsible for damages incurred by a juvenile delinquent. To hold a parent financially responsible in a case, the court must include the parent as a respondent in the case. When the child cannot pay the restitution, the petitioner has the right to go after the parents for that money instead. The amount allowed may be capped by each individual state.

    Consequences

    • In addition to the possibility of contributing to or paying for a child's restitution, parents can face other consequences of their child's actions. Some states require parents to pay the state back for any rehabilitative services, such as time in juvenile hall, psychological treatment or time in the foster system. In addition, parents could also ultimately lose custody of their child if the court determines that they did not do all they could to control their child and did not give the child reasonable care. A parent may also be required to complete community service alongside his child or attend parenting classes.

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