Top Stamford domestic violence criminal lawyers are frequently seeing Felony Risk of Injury / Child Endangerment charges piggybacking even the most minor domestic violence scrapes. Stamford domestic violence arrests for Disorderly Conduct and Breach of Peace—coupled with a CGS 53-21 Felony Risk of Injury to a Minor / Child Endangerment arrest—can wreak havoc on your professional life, as it often takes months and sometimes over a year for the felony arrest to clear off your background checks and criminal record.
So why the upsurge in Darien, Stamford, and Greenwich arrests for 53-21 Risk of Injury to a Minor / Child Endangerment in domestic violence cases? The answer is not so simple…
Ask any top Connecticut DCF investigation lawyer: Connecticut DCF is mounting tremendous pressure on police to report to DCF any crime allegedly committed in front of a child, even if the minor was not touched, harmed, or even at a true risk of injury. This means that parents who have a heated, profanity-laced verbal argument with each other—while obviously not appropriate in front of any child—can find themselves arrested for felonies and subjected to the scrutiny of both the Stamford domestic violence criminal courts and DCF investigators. And this even applies to infants who are sleeping in a bassinet and do not understand any of the words being used. While a CGS 53a-182 Disorderly Conduct arrest may be overkill in a situation like this, at least it’s understandable. But a Felony CGS 53-21 Risk of Injury to a Minor arrest for parents who do not threaten or harm their child during a verbal or threatening confrontation? It’s overkill. And some of the best Stamford criminal lawyers are seeing more and more of these Risk of Injury arrests accompanying domestic violence cases where the kids are in the house but not even in the room of the verbal argument, sticking parents with felony Risk of injury charges that can affect a parent’s job and ability to make money. In the end, the Stamford 53-21 Risk of Injury to a Minor arrest will end up hurting the child even more.
As part and parcel of any Norwalk, Stamford or Greenwich domestic violence Risk of Injury arrest comes the restraining and protective orders that are issued by a Connecticut Superior Court criminal judge at your arraignment. The Connecticut protective / restraining order comes in 3 forms: (1) the “FULL NO CONTACT” order which is the most restrictive and prohibits any kind of contact whatsoever with the protected person, (2) the “FULL RESIDENTIAL STAY-AWAY” which allows contact but prohibits you from entering the residence of the protected person, and (3) the “PARTIAL” or “LIMITED” protective order which is the least restrictive and allows full contact and full visitation privileges, and merely orders you not to threaten, intimidate or assault the protected parties. Beware, however, as the best Stamford criminal lawyers have seen victims and protected people often use these protective orders as swords, not shields. A violation of a Criminal Protective Order is a Class D felony under CGS 53a-223. A violation of a Civil Restraining Order is also a Class D felony under CGS 53a-223b. Each of these crimes carries a maximum of 5 years in jail and a $5000 fine.
One final and critical component of any Stamford arrest for CGS 53-21 is the mandatory commencement of a DCF investigation. As top Stamford Connecticut DCF lawyers have observed in recent years, a DCF investigator will come to your home whenever a Risk of Injury arrest is made. DCF’s job is to conduct a risk assessment regarding the child’s safety, as well as the safety of every other child in the home. DCF will want to interview every adult in the home, as well as contact your children’s educators, doctors and dentists. This can be very invasive and upsetting to parents who do not want questions and suspicions swirling around their reputation. That’s why you should consider hiring a DCF lawyer to run interference for you, assist DCF with their investigation, and most importantly, shield your family and your family’s reputation from rumors and unnecessary interference by DCF investigators. Click here to learn more about how the Connecticut DCF attorneys at Mark Sherman Law can assist you in any DCF investigation.
Stamford domestic violence prosecutors are acutely aware and sensitive to how serious a 53-21 Risk of Injury arrest can be for someone who is arrested. These domestic violence prosecutors are not looking to ruin lives or see people lose their jobs. They work quickly to separate the high risk cases from the low risk cases, heal families and allow them to move forward with their lives. But it is sometimes helpful to hire a top Stamford domestic violence lawyer to help accelerate the process by aggressively advocating to the Stamford and Norwalk domestic violence courts on your behalf. These Connecticut criminal law firms can sometimes provide the court with the paperwork and data points that permit them to release jurisdiction, terminate protective and restraining orders, and allow you and your family to put your Stamford or Darien Connecticut arrest for 53-21 Risk of Injury / Child Endangerment behind you.
Click here for more information on how the Mark Sherman Law team of criminal lawyers can help you fight your Stamford or Greenwich arrest for Risk of Injury to a Minor / Child Endangerment charges under 53-21.
