Professor Bala Talks to BBC About Parental Convictions in Children's Crimes

Professor Nila Bala spoke to the BBC’s The World Tonight podcast on Aug 6.

Bala discussed the conviction and recent sentencing to 15 years in prison of Colin Gray, whose son used a gun Gray gave him for Christmas in a deadly 2024 school shooting in Georgia. 

Although the instinct to hold parents criminally responsible in such cases is understandable, Bala told host Jane Hill, “we have to ask ourselves seriously whether criminal liability really is the best way to respond to a situation like this.”

Bala said such convictions could create “perverse incentives,” deterring parents from getting children mental health care or reporting concerns that could prevent mass shootings before they occur.

Parents might fear such interventions could “create a paper trail that can be used against them later,” she said.

Listen to Bala’s full interview, which starts at around the 28-minute mark.

Nila Bala is a scholar of children’s rights, criminal law, and evidence. Her work examines how law structures childhood, particularly through criminal law, emerging technologies, and systems of surveillance and punishment. At King Hall, she teaches Criminal Law, Evidence, and Children and the Law.

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