People’s opinions are divided on who will be charged for the crime children have committed. While some people think that it is their parents’ duty, as they are the ones who are responsible for inserting codes of conduct into their children’s minds, others argue that these young criminals have to receive punishment for their negative actions. Although both schools of thought hold merits, I more agree with the latter view for several reasons.
Granted, it seems right to accuse parents of the bad behaviors that their children have done. This is because family plays an important role in nurturing and directing children’s inner feelings and thoughts in order to help them fully develop and become good adults. Therefore, if the children commit a minor or serious crime, it might be because their parents have not fully taken their responsibility to tell them right from wrong, and they should be punished for this. However, this line of reasoning is not sound, as there are many other factors contributing to the development of a child. It is difficult to say whether family or external agents, such as schools or friends, have greater impacts on one’s behaviors.
Furthermore, on the individual scale, an irresponsible mindset can be conducted in their young mind if they are not charged for their bad behaviors. This is predicated on the assumption that people usually learn from their mistakes, but in this case, children cannot learn anything because they do not need to deal with the consequences. This would hurdle the development progress of these children. On the society scale, if a child knows someone else will take the responsibility for their actions, they may have a tendency to reoffend their crime until they reach mature age, creating a chaotic world where children are able to do anything they want.
In conclusion, saying parents should be charged for their children’s crimes is undervaluing the influence of other factors on children’s development, such as friends or schools. In addition, children need to take responsibility on their own not only for developing but also for protecting social security.