1.) Should parents be responsible for their child's actions?
Yes they should be responsible because the parents act as the mediator between the kids and the outside world. Parents are supposed to teach their kids right from wrong and to teach them morals because they aren't just born with knowing all of those things, they learn it from the people in their lives. Also many parents would agree that turning in their child who have committed crimes was the right thing to do.
2.) If a child were to commit an act of violence should the parents or child be punished?
Many parents believe that they should not be punished for the crime their kids commit because they weren't the ones who actually did it. A single mother of the 15 year old boy who attempted to rob a pizza delivery man said that she shouldn't be responsible because she has enough problems of their own. She also said "I don't think parents should be responsible for children doing something wrong. We do the best we can do as single parents." But is that a good excuse?
3.) Why do some parents choose to not take responsibility foe their kids?
Out of the two parents it's more likely for Men to abandon their kids. One reason is that they are not financially prepared so they wouldn't be able to care for the baby. Also it could be that the father wasn't ready in general, they aren't ready to take on the responsibility of another human being. A last reason is because they aren't happy in the relationship that they are in so they leave.
4.) Do kids with bad parents turn out different than kids with good parents?
They don't, it can be vice versa. Even the children of good parents can turn out to be criminals. It starts with the kids pushing your buttons just to get their way and every time you give in they realize that they have power over you. They see arguing as a game so they don't take you seriously. After that they go even further and will start to disrespect you and break the rules. all of these things can happen to any kid and parent no matter how good or bad of a parent you are.
5.) Why is it that children who grow up without parents tend to commit more crimes?
Actually it's children who come from all different family situations, it's not just one specific type of person. They believe that it's discipline and supervision that is lacking. Also parents are doing their best to prepare their children from the real world and to know right from wrong and all the peer pressure they are going to face in their lives.
My survey question was "Do you think parents should be responsible for their child's actions?" and I had 16 people answer yes or no. Out of those 16 people, 97% answered yes while the other 12% answered no.
