Should parents be held responsible for childrens actions?

[K.I.L.E.R]

I'm watching A current affair and 2 boys (one boy 14 and the other 15) and it is argued that should parents pay $30,000 for their childrens actions. The children burnt down a house.

"society doesn't allow children to be disciplined so society should be responsible". - some guy

Should the parents be held responsible?

 

[L233]

It depends on the circumstances, I guess. Parents cannot police their children 24/7 and even well brought up kids screw up sometimes.

 

[Natoma]

As a blanket statement I would say yes, the parent should be held accountable. However, as L233 stated, there are circumstances whereby the parent couldn't possibly be held accountable. For instance, if a 10yr old murders someone, are the parents responsible for that murder? No.

But if that 10yr old has a history of beating up other children, and a parent of one of the beaten kids sues, the parents could most certainly be held accountable for not disciplining their child, or taking their child to a counselor, or whatever.

There are many permutations to consider.