Any allegation that you allegedly abused or neglected your child is a very serious matter that justifies a prompt and proactive legal response, especially if the allegation involves your child supposedly being in serious danger. On top of the damage this sort of accusation can do to your personal and professional reputation, it may also lead to criminal charges for “risk of injury to a minor,” which Connecticut state law classifies as a felony offense.
Just like anyone else accused of a criminal offense, you have a right to seek help from a private defense attorney and challenge any criminal proceedings opened against you for alleged “injury or risk of injury to, or impairing morals of, children.” If you have been charged with, or are under investigation for this type of offense, you should make contacting and retaining a seasoned Rowayton risk of injury to a minor lawyer your top priority.
Connecticut General Statutes (“C.G.S.”) §53-21 lists three different scenarios under which someone in Rowayton may be criminally charged with risk of injury to a child, each of which a skilled attorney can provide vital assistance with handling in an effective manner. The most severely prosecuted variant of this offense entails someone having contact with the “intimate parts” of a child under 16 or forcing the child to contact their own intimate parts in a “sexual and indecent manner” likely to harm the child’s health and/or morals, as this is a Class B felony carrying between 1 and 20 years of prison time and $15,000 in fines upon conviction.
The second variant of this offense entails someone intentionally causing or allowing a child under 16 to be placed in a situation that endangers their “life or limb” and/or is likely to impair their health or morals, and the third variant entails someone selling or buying legal or physical custody of a child under 16 for money or anything else of value. These are both treated as Class C felonies, so a convicted individual could face between 1 and 10 years of prison time plus a maximum of $10,000 in fines.
The optimal defense strategy for a risk of injury to a minor charge in Rowayton can change dramatically from case to case, as any experienced defense lawyer can affirm. Broadly speaking, though, the prosecution during cases of this nature must prove that a child was legitimately at risk of sustaining severe harm as a direct result of the defendant’s actions, or—in the case of unlawful intimate contact and unlawful transfer of custody—that the defendant actually engaged in the specific behaviors listed in the relevant section of state law.
Cases built around allegations that a child was intentionally or otherwise unlawfully put in harm’s way tend to be much more subjective than other cases dealing with this same charge. Among other things, guidance from legal counsel can be key to establishing through expert witness testimony and cross-examination of evidence presented by the prosecutor that the child in question was not actually harmed and was never at serious risk of physical or moral harm under the circumstances.
Criminal charges for risk of injury to a minor often accompany other criminal charges for things like assault or driving under the influence, and they can significantly increase the severity of potential sanctions that could come from an unfavorable case result. Fortunately, you have help available in fighting back against this sort of allegation from a knowledgeable legal professional with years of experience handling similar cases successfully.
A conversation with a Rowayton risk of injury to a minor attorney can provide you with vital information about your rights, options, and best course forward. Call Mark Sherman Law today to set up a meeting, and click here to see the hundreds of positive reviews left by past clients on our Avvo profile.
