Utah Violent Crimes Attorney | Child Abuse & Abandonment

When most people in our society think of criminal charges or criminal statutes they think of the most heinous clear cut circumstances. For example, when the crime of child abuse is brought up we think about how anybody that hurts a child should be punished, and we envision a person that is just a mean evil person hurting children. In the real world however, the truth is much more difficult to come by and in a lot of cases it can be difficult to know if we think a persons acts are actually criminal or not. For example in child abuse cases, some people may focus on the child that was injured and think that someone has to pay no matter what, others may look at the accused individual and think that they simply made a mistake or were just put in a bad situation and shouldn’t be criminally punished, and that’s if its even clear that the person did the things they are accused of.

Utah Child Abuse Laws

The basic idea behind the child abuse laws in Utah is that if you cause physical injury to a child or allow someone else to cause physical injury while the child is in your custody or control then you are criminally liable for child abuse. If the injuries are such that they could be classified as serious bodily injury then the accused individual could be facing a felony charge and possible conviction. For any injuries that are less than serious bodily injury the charge will most likely be a misdemeanor but could still involve months in jail.

Child Abandonment Charges in Utah

In conjunction with child abuse in Utah a person can also be charged and convicted of a similar crime entitled child abandonment. If a person intentionally fails to provide for the safety of the child or if a person abandons a child without providing for the maintenance of the child then they could be charged and convicted of child abandonment which is a felony.

Child Abuse Defense | Utah Criminal Defense Attorney

If you have been convicted of child abuse or child abandonment in Utah then you need to call the attorneys at Salcido Law Firm. With the help of our lawyers you can feel confident that your rights are being protected and your side of the story is being told. Our attorneys offer free consultations so call or email us today to find out more about how we can help you in your case.