[eeman]

Ideally, not only the parents should bear at least some financial liability, but the kid should be doing some time as well. I had an employee whose daughter was a delinquent and was shoplifting, and probably other acts as well. The mother was distraught, put her in counseling etc. No legal authority ever came down on this kid until she turned 18 and then she was thrown in jail and now has a permanent record. If someone had come down earlier on her when she was a juvenile, maybe she would have figured it out before she turned 18.

[LibKill]

I had an employee whose daughter was a delinquent and was shoplifting, and probably other acts as well. The mother was distraught, put her in counseling etc. No legal authority ever came down on this kid until she turned 18 and then she was thrown in jail and now has a permanent record.

If I had done any of that when I was a kid the old man would have beat the tar out of me on the first offense. And I knew it.

Of course, that is illegal now. Oh, brave new world.