Chicago Child Endangerment Lawyer
Facing Child Abuse Charges in Chicago?
The Law Offices of Mitch Furman can provide you with responsive and highly-experienced criminal defense strategies after you have been accused of child endangerment. For more than a decade, we have been hearing the stories of the criminally accused and doing all we can to give them a fair chance in court; we are not afraid to stand up to the state, or even the federal government, if it means protecting your rights as a parent accused of endangering a child.
Criminal penalties for endangering a child include:
- Up to one or two years in jail or prison
- High fines paid to the state
- Probation
More alarming than criminal violations, if you are convicted of endangering your child, a subsequent civil lawsuit could strip you of your right to see and raise your child. It is critical that you appropriately defend yourself from the criminal accusations so that there is no opportunity for a civil case to arise. Contact our firm to request a free consultation with our Chicago criminal defense lawyer today.
Aggravating Factors in Child Endangerment Cases
The prosecution, and therefore your defense, will be concerned with two major considerations for your child endangerment charges:
- Intent - You do not need to intentionally put a child in harm to be charged with child endangerment, but having the intent to do so will escalate the charges, possibly up to a felony.
- Risk - The more likely a child would have suffered harm in a situation you put them in, the more severe the charges you could face. Both potential physical and emotional harm can be considered when evaluating your charges.
In order to protect yourself from the accusations against you, it will be necessary to prove beyond a doubt that you did not put your child in any risk of danger, nor did you have any intent to do so. Being able to prove your argument relies heavily on your understanding of what is and is not considered neglectful or abusive behavior in Illinois State law.
Some of the most common forms of endangerment are:
- Leaving a newborn unattended virtually anywhere
- Leaving a young child alone in an automobile
- Driving while intoxicated and with a child in your car
Protect Your Parental Rights
Upon review and closer inspection, many child endangerment cases can be evaluated as simple misunderstandings or mistakes. No matter how clear it may be that you did not wish to bring any harm to your child, the state will need to be convinced that it is the truth. Get our Chicago criminal defense attorney on your side to hand control of your case and defense over to a professional.
The longer you wait, the stronger the opposition grows. Call (312) 236-7078 today.