In the State of California, PC 273(a) lays out the crime of Child Endangerment and outlines the possible punishments for someone found guilty of this crime. Most often, Child Endangerment is charged along with other crimes, such as child abuse or domestic violence. Child endangerment may be an enhancement to a charge of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) if a person is arrested for DUI with children in the vehicle. Child endangerment is a serious charge and carries heavy potential penalties.
Sometimes, child endangerment is also referred to as Child Abuse. However, this is incorrect. The charge of child abuse is a violation of Penal Code 273d, which makes it a crime to physically harm or abuse a child. But, someone who is charged under the child endangerment code, PC 273a, need only have put a child in POSSIBLE danger.
Other charges related to, and sometimes charged in conjunction with, child endangerment are: Child Neglect (Failure to Provide Care), Child Abandonment, Failure to Supervise a Child’s School Attendance, Corporal Injury of a Child (Child Abuse), and Tattooing A Minor.
If you, or someone you love, has been charged with child endangerment, the first step toward working through the legal process is to get out of jail. This is most easily accomplished through cash bail or bail bonds.
For more information about bail bonds for Child Endangerment, call the bi-lingual, all-female bail bond agents at Justice Bail Bonds at (951) 445-4155.
What is Child Endangerment?
Child endangerment, under California law, is defined as having occurred when a child is hurt, either mentally or physically, or COULD HAVE BEEN HURT, while under the care of an adult who could or should have foreseen the possibility of harm.
Child endangerment can be charged against an adult under the following conditions:
- He or she causes or permits a minor in their care to suffer unjustifiable pain or mental anguish.
- He or she willfully causes or permits a minor to be injured
- He or she willfully permits a minor to be placed in a dangerous situation.
Examples of Child Endangerment include:
- A legal gun being kept in the house is left loaded or unsecured, in a place where a child can gain access to it.
- Knives or other dangerous objects left in a place where children can access them and hurt themselves.
- Leaving a child or children in the company or care of a known sex-offender.
- Failing to secure medical treatment for a child.
In common terms, child endangerment is a failure, or perceived failure, to provide for the welfare and safety of children in your care. Many times, charges of child endangerment come about as a result of an investigation into other domestic violence situations or other crimes.
Child Neglect PC 270
Child Neglect is also called “Failure to provide care” for a child. In California, this crime is covered under Penal Code 270, which states:
If a parent of a minor child willfully omits, without lawful excuse, to furnish necessary clothing, food, shelter or medical attendance, or other remedial care for his or her child, he or she is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
This means that if a child is sick or hurt, medical treatment must be obtained for the child in a reasonable amount of time.
Truancy - PC 270.1(a)
When children in the State of California are over the age of six and have not yet completed the eighth grade, they are required to attend a public school or be enrolled in an alternative education program, such as private or homeschool. When parents fail to ensure that their children attend school as required by law, they can be charged with Truancy, another name for violating PC 270.1(a).
Child Abandonment or Neglect – PC 270.5 (a)
Child abandonment laws require that parents provide for their children’s basic needs, including food and shelter. They can do this either in their own home or someone else’s. Failure to allow a child who has not yet reached the age of 18 to leave their home, without providing an alternative living arrangement, leaves parents open to charges of child abandonment.
PC 271 provides that a person who is responsible for a child (such as a parent or guardian) must maintain the care and upkeep of that child until the child is at least fourteen. Failing to provide support will result in a charge of Child Abandonment or Child Neglect.
Failure to Pay Child Support or Spousal Support
When a court order has been issued providing either spousal or child support from one parent to another, and the parent ordered to pay child support fails to do so, that parent may be charged with child neglect or child abandonment under PC 270(f). This sometimes happens when the custodial parent seeks government assistance in meeting everyday needs and it comes to light that the non-custodial parent is not paying the child support or spousal support that has been ordered.
Bail for Child Endangerment
Cash bail is a process used by the justice system since before the Revolutionary War, to allow defendants to get out of jail while they wait for their hearings and trial. This permits individuals to participate better in their defense, support their families, contribute to society, and repair family relationships while they work through the legal process.
The amount of bail required for a charge of child endangerment depends on several factors, including what other charges are involved, and can range from several thousand dollars to more than one hundred thousand dollars.
Bail Bonds for Child Endangerment
When the amount of cash bail is more than a defendant can easily afford, a bail bondsman can work to get them out of jail for a fraction of the cost of bail. For more information about bail bonds for child endangerment, call Justice Bail Bonds at (951) 445-4155.
