[WOMBAI]

Originally Posted by Shasown

Nice idea in theory, in practice it would be impossible to administer, who would you place the blame on in one parent families, the parent that is there or the absent member? What about when one parent works away a lot and the other isnt really the best at coping? What would happen if the child was actually full of devilment as they used to say? Not evil at heart just refused to listen to authority, and just did things to see why they shouldnt? Some kids are like that.

Also wouldnt bad parents who were prosecuted for failing to adequately supervise their children then simply lock their children in the house, or potentially worse just abuse the children even worse if they had to pay a financial penalty for the actions of their children. What about children in care who would you punish then?

Basically the idea comes down to punishment, its not about education or rehabilitation, its not even about responsibility for any crimes that children do commit, because lets face it children have committed serious crimes in the past and will continue to do so.

If you believe that children under the age of 12 or even 14 are not criminally responsible then why the outcry over the children involved in the Bulger case? It was stated in their defence during the trial that both boys were fully aware of right and wrong. It was their understanding of relating this basic principle to their own actions that they had problems comprehending. This was excused in part because they were as classified by psychologists as being educationally subnormal. Does this not then point to the educational system being at least part in fault?

If then they werent responsible for the murder, why do people insist that their identities, or at least the new identity of Jon Venables be made known? He has been accused of a serious crime and is awaiting legal proceedings for that crime. However if it does go to trial by jury, the knowledge that he was previously known as jon venables and his previous crimes will obviously sway any juror and prejudice his chances of a fair trial on the new allegations.

If they did raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10-12 it would also mean that Venables and Thompson would have had claims against the Ministry of Justice against their sentence and then for the lifting of their licences.

Children dont come with manuals, what works with one child can sometimes have a counterproductive effect on another.

Indeed prosecuting parents instead could raise many ethical questions and create endless problems - but something needs to be done! It does seem that treating cases individually, taking into account a detailed history of the child and family situation, as opposed to having a blanket rule would be the way to go, and taking into account that the parents are not always to blame, as suggested by Dezzy.

But there do seem to be an increasing amount of parents, particularly on large housing estates, that allow their children to pretty much run wild and do what they like, often making other people's lives a misery. These parents need to be forced to take responsibility - and they should be held accountable.

I think both parents should be held accountable whether or not the parents live together, or whether or not the father has been involved in their lives. Perhaps the message will get through to absent fathers, who take no responsibility, that they have a duty of care - whether they want to or not! Because the fact that the fathers ignore their children is a big part of the problem!

Personally I have mixed feelings about the Venables/Thompson case. No doubt what they did was atrocious and unforgivable - can't imagine how hard it has been for the parents to live with knowing how he suffered - but I still find myself feeling uncomfortable at the way adults were baying for their blood. I recently saw an opinion on a site of someone who thought they should have been executed - and I found that very difficult to justify!

Demonstating a knowledge of knowing the difference between right and wrong - does not always mean they fully understand the relationship between that and their own actions. It is very complicated!