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What Is Contributing to Delinquency of a Minor? 

The Basic Definition 

In simple terms, contributing to delinquency of a minor is a criminal charge that’s filed when a parent (or parents) allows or encourages their child to engage in an illegal activity. For example, if you purchase alcohol for your daughter’s sixteenth birthday, and you allow her and other underage guests to drink the alcohol, you could be charged with contributing to delinquency of a minor. This is a criminal charge which means that the punishment could be fines and/or jail time. In some situations, you may receive a citation. In other situations, the consequences could be jail time. The punishment would likely depend on the specific facts of your case. 

Parental Alienation 

In an attempt to manipulate the children, one parent may try to alienate the kids by being the “cool parent.” This could mean purchasing alcohol for the teenagers, allowing them to skip school, refusing to follow rules set in the parenting plan, and more. Parents may also spoil the children by buying them gifts, refusing to set boundaries, and refusing to discipline the children. While not all these behaviors meet the criteria for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, there may be some overlap if a parent is enabling and/or encouraging their child to break the law. Parental alienation may be difficult to prove, especially if the only thing the other parent is doing is spoiling the child. If you’re in this situation with your ex, make sure you thoroughly document all instances of alienation. If your ex is helping your child break the law—for example, by purchasing alcohol for the teenager—you may need to speak with an attorney so that you can get tailored advice. 

Are Parents Responsible for What Their Kids Do?  

Yes, parents can be responsible for what their children do—especially in a civil sense. For example, if your child wrecks a car, you could be exposed to financial liability. Though parents aren’t normally held responsible for crimes their children commit, parents can face charges related to their child’s crimes if there is evidence to suggest that the parents helped the child commit the crime. For example, if a teenager kills someone while driving under the influence of alcohol that their parents purchased for them, the parents could face charges related to that incident.  If someone is fatally injured by your teenager, and there is evidence that you facilitated the teenager’s conduct (for example, purchasing them alcohol and allowing them to use your car to drive drunk) you could face criminal and civil penalties. 

Don’t Parents Have the Right to Make Decisions? 

If you and the other parent are not married, you have the right to make decisions regarding the day to day life of the child. You can decide if they’re too sick to go to school, what they eat, the media they consume, or the clothes they wear, etc. Unless it’s covered in the parenting plan, there’s no restrictions on the decisions the parents can make regarding the day-to-day life of their child. However, if the decisions you’re making are against the law (such as allowing your child not to go to school at all and not homeschooling them), then you may not be able to proceed with those decisions. 

There May Be Other Consequences 

Not only can you be criminally and civilly liable for your child’s actions, but there may also be other consequences as well. This could result in a loss of custody if a pattern is established and your ex has evidence of the pattern. This could mean that your parent-time is decreased or that you eventually lose all custody and only have visitation. If you have concerns about what’s going on at your ex’s house, you may need to speak with an attorney who can give you tailored advice about what you can do to protect your family. 

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