Wilton Risk of Injury to Minors Lawyer
If you are facing any allegations of child abuse or neglect, it is a good idea to talk to a Wilton risk of injury to minors lawyer. A top criminal lawyer could help protect your family’s rights and defend against the charges.
What Statute Covers Risk of Injury to a Minor?
Risk of injury to a minor is prohibited by Connecticut General Statutes (C.G.S.) §53-21. This statute defines three separate types of conduct that constitute a violation. All three are treated as felonies, though some are more serious than others.
Risk of injury could involve sexual contact, illegal transfer of custody, or just generally harmful conduct. The child do not have to suffer an actual injury for a person to be charged with this crime. A Wilton lawyer could search for evidence to demonstrate that conduct did not pose a risk to the minor in question.
What is Risk of Injury by Sale of Children?
C.G.S. §53.21(a)(3) prohibits the transfer of permanent legal or physical custody of a child under the age of 16 in exchange for money or anything else of value. Receiving custody in exchange for payment is also prohibited. As a Wilton risk of injury to minors attorney can explain, violation of this subsection is a Class C felony.
What is Contact with Intimate Parts?
The most serious risk of injury violation concerns contact with the intimate body parts of a minor. If someone touches the intimate parts of a minor under age 16 in a sexual and indecent manner, they commit a Class B felony. If the victim is under 13, there is a 5 year mandatory minimum prison sentence, meaning 5 years of the potentially 20 years of jail time cannot be suspended.
What is Risk of Injury to Health or Morals?
The provisions of the risk of injury statute with the broadest reach are those concerning the health and morals of the child. Essentially, this subsection of the statute prohibits any act that is “likely” to injure the health or morals a child under the age of 16. A violation of this section is a Class C felony.
This standard is highly subjective, and reasonable people may disagree about what constitutes a danger to a child’s moral development. A Wilton lawyer could argue that the conduct at issue serves a valid purpose that outweighs any potential danger to moral or physical health to the minor.
What are the Penalties for Risk of Injury?
The penalties for a Class C felony include fines as high as $10,000 and a prison sentence of up to ten years. When risk of injury to minors is treated as a Class B felony, the maximum sentence doubles to 20 years, and the maximum fine is set at $15,000. Both charges could also result in a period of probation.
Work with an Experienced Wilton Risk of Injury Attorney
It is wise to start building a solid defense strategy as soon as possible, even if charges have not yet been filed. The best time to collect evidence to support your side of the story is right after the incident leading to the charges.
A Wilton risk of injury to minors lawyer could find and preserve evidence so that it is available for negotiations and at trial. To learn more about how a lawyer could help in your situation, call Mark Sherman Law.