Should Parents be Liable?

Over the last decade in Finland, I have noted how youth crime has increased significantly. In fact, it has tripled since 2015, with a sharp increase in the severity and violence involved. I have seen this playout on the streets multiple times, and I have heard plenty of first-person stories from people I trust. And from what I have read from other countries, for the most part, this is a common trend and it seems that the countries that previously had little issue with violence or crime, are seeing the sharpest rise. It is like these countries are normalising to trend in a worse direction, rather than the worse getting better.

Is that a future youth demon?

In some places at least, it is considered a crime of the parents if a minor commits a firearms offence, presumably because it is up to the parent to secure the weapon. However, I wonder what would happen if the punishment of all the crimes committed by minors that don't trigger prosecution for the minor, should be shared by the parent also. There seem to be a lot of parents who don't care where their kids are or what they are doing, but would they care more if what their kids did impacted them?

Maybe, maybe not.

There are lots of reasons for an increase in youth crime, with many of the social mechanisms that used to exist to curb antisocial behaviour severely weakened, increasing mental health issues of various kinds, potent new drugs, the internet content they consume, limited opportunity, degraded school environments and a host of other issues. Punishing the parents for the outcomes of a lot of these things is unfair, because many are out of their control also. However, there is also a lot in the parent's control too. For instance, I read stories of kids under ten years of age joyriding in stolen cars at two in the morning. Where are the parents?

And this is the issue I guess, because almost anyone can have a child, even if they have no skill or will to raise a child and have no desire to spend any of their time and energy keeping track of where and what their children are doing. Should they be punished for just being bad parents?

A slippery slope, isn't it?

I don't know what the answer is in terms of legislative avenues, but I do think that consequences for youth crime are so low for the child and the parents involved, there is very little incentive to change the behaviours. What would probably help the situation long-term is if there is a healthy social environment at home, and in society at large - but that takes time to develop and it will take longer than it did to degrade. Adults and children seem to forget that they are part of a wider fabric, which means it is constantly fraying, rather than pulling a tighter weave. Maybe we all need to be reminded that we should be intentional with all of our actions.

Do the punishments fit the crimes?

Punishment might not be a great way to change behaviour, but lack of punishment is even worse, because it reinforces the behaviour. There needs to be an incentive to act in a positive way, but there just isn't much incentive for most people these days to do so.

What is your take on this and why?

Perhaps you want to share what is happening in your local area and what is being done to improve, or worsen the situation. Many countries, regions and cities can vary a lot, so it would be interesting to hear some first-hand stories.