Paying The Price For Mischief On Mischief Night
By Amy E. Feldman
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Are parents legally responsible if our kids do some mischief on mischief night?
When Miley Cyrus brought a handsome date with her to the MTV Awards to speak about teen homelessness, she was likely unaware that there was still a warrant out for his arrest for skipping out on charges that he did some mischief on Mischief Night in 2010, after facing charges of attempted burglary and criminal mischief.
You know, if you can't trust a handsome total stranger, whom can you trust?
For her part, the mother of said handsome mischief maker was surprised that he had chosen to live in a shelter rather than come home.
Like her, you may be surprised by the mischief your handsome angel gets into. Can you be responsible for his mischief on Mischief Night?
Mischief night pranks run the gamut from shaving cream and toilet paper-related incidents to broken windows and conduct that rises to the level of criminal mischief. Where kids engage in criminal mischief, it is the individual who perpetrates the crime who is arrested for it (unless it's shown that the parent was an accessory to the crime by, say, driving the kids to the mischief). But for property damage that results in civil penalties - that is, costs money - the parents may be responsible to pay the debts created by the minor through mischief.
Best advice is to ask questions like, I know you're handsome, but where are you headed with a dozen eggs and all those spray paint cans before you find your baby's face splashed across the headlines.