When good wombs bear bad sons...

For most part, I agree with the statement of having a parental responsibility law. There are many benefits to this law.

We have to agree with the fact that all children are of the same nature. However, we know that many people are of different personalities, and hence have to then assume that habits and the environment are the cause of the difference in character between people.

Parents probably hold a large influence on the environment of growing children. They impart values and guide them on their path of life. Unless their children have some sort of personality or mental disorder (eg. Down’s syndrome, autism etc.), you have to then agree with me that parents are the main cause of children’s behaviour.

Therefore based on this line of reasoning, a parental responsibility law should be then enforced, at least until the child is 12, in my personal opinion.

Also, for minor cases, I would suggest that parents and children both take time to do community service together if their child has broken the law.

For more severe cases however, I think a thorough investigation should take place to evaluate if the parent has tried their best to take their children in hand. If parents have done so, then these parents should not take any blame but rather compensate the victim or his/her family if necessary.

The child then should go through various psychiatric tests to check his moral standing, IQ etc. and if he/she has been influenced by various violent media and so on. If that is so, then parents would then have to take some of the blame as they did not restrict the type of media their child has been exposed to.

Again, for the 16 year old boy, I believe that his parents should not be held responsible. A 16 year old (unless he suffers from low IQ etc.) should know what he is doing. He has been educated for at least 10 years. To put the blame entirely on his parents would also mean that our education system is a failure as it has not been able to instil in the boy moral values.

I believe that the boy should be imprisoned for around 20 years.