Fairfax Child Abuse DEFENSE Lawyer

If you are facing a criminal child abuse allegation, don’t worry, as a Fairfax child abuse defense lawyer, I can fight your case and protect your legal rights.

read below penalties and defenses of fairfax child abuse

What Is Child Abuse?

Child abuse in Virginia is defined in law section §18.2-371.1.  While most may normally imagine child abuse as being physical beatings or harsh verbal insults, Virginia has specific requirements for what acts or omissions constitute child abuse.

Additionally, child abuse can be alleged in civil cases, usually about custody, and what comes out of a civil case can be used in criminal proceedings.

Child abuse, as defined in §18.2-371.1, occurs when the parent or guardian of a child willfully acts or refuses to act in a way that causes or permits serious injury to the child. 

Additionally, the guardian must provide the necessary care to avoid serious injury.  For this section of the law, a child is anyone under the age of 18. 

Under this section, “serious injury” includes, but is not limited to, disfigurements, burns, lacerations, and other species-listed injuries. 

A violation of §18.2-371.1 is normally a class 4 felony.  However, if you violate §18.2-371.1 and the court finds that your actions were so “gross, wanton, and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life”, you are guilty of a class 6 felony. 

If you have questions on what can be “gross, wanton, and culpable”, contact a Fairfax child abuse lawyer at American Lawyers Group.

A class 6 felony is punishable with up to $2,500 in fines and up to 5 years in jail.  A class 4 felony is punishable with up to $100,000 in fines and up to 10 years in jail. 

Because of how steep these fines are and how long the jail time can be, you should contact the Fairfax child abuse defense lawyers at American Lawyers Group if you are facing such charges

Child Sexual Abuse

Separate from the abuse defined in §18.2-371.1 is the sexual abuse of a child.  Child sex abuse is essentially touching coercion or advances of a sexual nature directed at a child. 

They include rape, molestations, groping, indecent exposure, and more. 

Because the list is long and the implications dangerous, contact a Fairfax child abuse defense lawyer to answer your questions.

Criminal and Civil Cases

Having a child abuse conviction on your record will put you in a very weak position for future family law cases. 

The conviction will make it a truly uphill battle to win custody of any children and will hurt you in any future divorce proceedings.  Additionally, the evidence used in a criminal case can later be used against you again in a civil trial. 

This is part of why you need to have a skilled Fairfax child abuse attorney representing you when you face such charges.

For criminal cases, what comes to light in a civil case can also be used against defendants. 

This means that testimony from a civil case can be used in a criminal case as well.  This is often the case with spankings in Virginia. 

You need an attorney from the American Lawyers Group who can guide you through the civil and criminal proceedings of child abuse cases who can protect you from making statements that hurt you.

Penalties for Child Abuse

Being convicted of child abuse can be incredibly detrimental to your rights. 

A person convicted of child abuse can lose custody rights, the right to own a firearm, and other civil rights custody rights, the right to own a firearm, and other civil rights

In addition to the loss of rights, fines, and jail time associated with child abuse convictions, there are tremendous social ramifications.  Even being charged with child abuse will lead to a pending charge on your criminal record. 

This pending charge will be public information and will have immediate impacts on your job prospects. 

Child abuse charges can also be humiliating and can destroy your social life. 

Even if not convicted, a charge is enough for the public to condemn you.

Why You Need a Fairfax Child Abuse Defense Lawyer?

Separate from the abuse defined in §18.2-371.1 is the sexual abuse of a child. 

Child sex abuse is essentially touching coercion or advances of a sexual nature directed at a child.  They include rape, molestations, groping, indecent exposure, and more. 

Because the list is long and the implications dangerous, contact a Fairfax child abuse defense lawyer to answer your questions.