[Shattered Soul]

Yeah, usually the friends they hang out with. But do you really think the friends are going to rat to the parents?

I'm not saying that ALL the little delinquents out there are self-made--don't get me wrong--but as a former child myself, I know that kids are sometimes pretty good at hiding things from their parents. It's not that the parents aren't concerned or involved, mind you...sometimes they don't know the right questions to ask, or they don't ask the right people, or their kids seem so well-adjusted that they don't feel the need to snoop. But look up "Asocial Personality Disorder," and you'll see that these types are very good at manipulating people and putting forth a face that makes people trust them. Some of these kids may be sociopathic. Some may have fallen under the influence of the wrong people, and yeah, some may have crappy parents.

But let's just say that little Joe Blow has a criminal dad, who actively encourages his kid to be a crook. The kid gets caught. The kid should be punished because he made the choice to do something he knew was wrong, and the dad should be punished for, at the very least, contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

On the other hand, if a 16 or 17-year-old goes out and gets his 15-year-old girlfriend pregnant, do you think the parents should be held responsible for his (at the very least) child-support? Nah.