Colorado Springs Child Abuse Defense Attorneys
Defense for Those Accused of Child Abuse in Colorado Springs
Crimes against children, especially those that cause serious injury or death, are amongst the most severely punished crimes in Colorado. The laws surrounding child abuse are very complicated and there are many circumstances in which a person may be considered guilty of committing the crime. Being convicted for a child abuse crime can have serious and long-lasting repercussions that can affect the rest of an offender's life, even beyond a criminal sentence.
At The Bussey Law Firm, P.C., our knowledgeable Colorado Springs criminal defense lawyers understand how traumatic a criminal conviction can be, which is why we are committed to aggressively defending our clients and protecting their future.
Child Abuse Case Results
- DHS Case Dismissed - No Criminal Case Filed
- Domestic Violence, Assault in the Third Degree, and Child Abuse - Reduced to Class 1 Misdemeanor
- Multiple Felonies - No Conviction, Record Sealed - No Jail Time
- Child Abuse - Case Dismissed and Sealed
- Child Abuse - Dismissed and Sealed
- Child Abuse - Dismissed and Sealed
View more case results.
What Does Colorado Consider "Child Abuse?"
Under Colorado Revised Statute (CRS) 18-6-401, a person commits child abuse if he or she causes injury to a child's health or life, allows the unreasonable placement of a child into a situation that threatens the child's health or life, or "engages in a continued pattern of conduct that results in malnourishment, lack of proper medical care, cruel punishment, mistreatment, or an accumulation of injuries that ultimately results in the death of a child or serious bodily injury to a child." As per this definition, Colorado includes neglect within the crime of child abuse.
Other crimes that are identified as child abuse by the state of Colorado include:
- Excising or infibulating, in part or in whole, the labia majora, labia minora, vulva, or clitoris of a female child, even if it is a matter of ritual, custom, standard practice, or consent;
- Engaging in the manufacture of a controlled substance in the presence of a child or possessing the ingredients for such manufacturing in the presence of a child. Being unaware of the child's presence is not a defense; and
- As a parent or legal guardian, allowing the child to be in the presence of another who engages in the manufacturing of a controlled substance, or possesses the ingredients for manufacturing a controlled substance.
Because circumstances and severity of child abuse are varied, a convicted offender can be subjected to a wide range of penalties.
What Are Penalties for Child Abuse?
If child injury or death results from abuse, the perpetrator, coconspirator, complicitor, and/or accessory, may be charged with either a class 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 felony.
If a person is in a position of trust with respect to a child younger than 12-years old and knowingly causes the death of that child, then the person would be guilty of committing murder in the first degree, which a class 1 felony carrying a minimum sentence of life imprisonment and a maximum of the death penalty.
A conviction for child abuse does not just land you in prison; it can result in permanent revocation of your parental rights.
Colorado Springs Child Abuse Attorneys Providing Aggressive Representation to Protect Your Future
It is not uncommon for ex-spouses or other vengeful persons to make false accusations of child abuse as a means to harm you. Our experienced Colorado Springs child abuse defense attorneys will investigate every accusation in order to build a strong and aggressive defense on your behalf. If you have been arrested for child abuse or the intentional harm of a child in Colorado, call a defense lawyer at The Bussey Law Firm, P.C. to learn more about protecting your legal rights at (719) 475-2555.
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