What is Social Hosting in CT?
Social hosting laws in Connecticut are relatively new. These laws were designed to hold parents accountable for condoning / looking-the-other-way while hosting underage drinking parties.
Top Darien and Greenwich criminal defense attorneys can explain that a Connecticut arrest for Social Hosting / Failure to Halt Possession of Alcohol under CGS 30-89a punish a homeowner for knowing, or recklessly not knowing (but should have known), that minors are possessing alcohol in their home.
What if High School Teenagers Have Brought Alcohol to My House?
You need to take the alcohol away. It’s also illegal for Connecticut parents and homeowners to fail to make reasonable efforts to halt the possession of alcohol in their home. This means you have to be that parent who breaks up the party, takes the alcohol away from the teenagers, and call their parents.
And just as serious, if you know underage teenagers are drinking at your home, and then one of them drives away from your house and causes physical injuries in a Connecticut DUI / DWI accident, then you can get sued for letting them leave your house drunk.
Can Connecticut Parents Get Arrested for Social Hosting Even if They Aren’t Home During the Underage Drinking Party?
Yes. Social hosting arrests in Connecticut under CGS 30-89a make it illegal to not know (but should know) that minors are possessing alcohol in your home. It’s a remarkable and unfair stretch of the law, but a serious one that can get a parent arrested for a misdemeanor or felony, and can cause major problems in their employment.
Suddenly the cool parents risk being the convict parents.
Is a Connecticut Social Hosting Arrest the Same Thing as Providing Alcohol to Minors?
No. An arrest in Greenwich, New Canaan or Darien Connecticut for Providing Alcohol to a minor is much more serious than arrests for social hosting / failure to halt possession of alcohol.
As any of the best criminal lawyers in New Canaan and Darien can explain, when someone provides, delivers or purchases alcohol for anyone under 21, they can be arrested in Connecticut for the felony charge of Providing Alcohol to a Minor under CGS 30-86, which can carry a 5 year prison sentence.
These felony providing alcohol to minor charges come up regularly when Darien and Greenwich police bust underage drinking parties, or on school campuses when students purchase alcohol for minors at package stores (either with or without a Fake ID).
Removing Your Connecticut Arrest & Mug Shot off the Internet
One you are arrested for social hosting under CGS 30-89a or providing alcohol to a minor under CGS 30-86, your name, mug shot and arrest report will be published on the internet and show up on Google searches of your name.
Darien, New Canaan and Greenwich police will issue a press release of your arrest—not necessarily to humiliate you—but in part to deter other parents from hosting underage drinking parties.
The Mark Sherman Law Firm has developed one of the Connecticut’s top internet scrubbing practices—working with clients to remove arrest reports and mug shots off police blotters and off Google searches. You can click here to learn more about our cutting edge internet scrubbing practice.
Contact a Connecticut Providing Alcohol to Minor / Social Hosting Lawyer Today
So if you’ve been arrested or ticketed for CGS 30-89a or CGS 30-86 Social Hosting or Providing Alcohol to a Minor, contact a Connecticut underage drinking lawyer at Mark Sherman Law today. Darien and New Canaan parents and teenagers should not have a criminal record for hosting underage drinking parties. These charges need to be dismissed and expunged, rather than ruin grad school and career opportunities. You can read certified client reviews from our prior narcotics possession clients and then call us today. We are available 24/7 to take your call at (203) 358-4700.