Should parents be held responsible for the crimes of their children?

This week's jailing of the parents of a 15-year-old who embarked on a school shooting, killing four students, raises many questions around parental responsibility for the actions of their children

James and Jennifer Crumbley became the first parents in America to be convicted over deaths caused by their child in a mass shooting. Picture: AP/Paul Sancya

This week saw the landmark sentencing of the parents of a school shooter in the US after they were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

James and Jennifer Crumbley were each sentenced to 10 to 15 years for failing to prevent their son Ethan from killing four students at his school in Michigan two-and-a-half years ago.