Parents' & Child's Responsibility

Tyler, 15, fancied himself a modern-day Picasso with attitude. At night, he would spray-paint the walls of office buildings. Unfortunately for Tyler, the police and the building owners disagreed with the young artist's idea of self-expression.

When Tyler was found guilty of vandalism, his sentence included repainting the walls, which shouldn't surprise anyone. The fact that his parents were ordered by the court to help Tyler repaint the walls might.

Like Tyler's mother and father, parents around the country are sharing the punishment doled out to their children who cause injury and damage. In states with parental liability laws, mom and dad can be held accountable if their children are convicted, and may be ordered to repay victims for damages and, in some instances, to share criminal responsibility and jail time for negligence in supervising their children.

Frequently, assets -- both parents' and child's -- are tapped for restitution. For example, a victim's $2,000 medical bill can be collected from the guilty youth's savings account, the family checking account, or both.