A Charge of Child Abuse in Los Angeles Has Been Always Serious
No matter who you are or what you have done or have not done, if you are charged with a crime in the United States you are entitled to legal representation. The US Constitution explicitly mandates that every US citizen must receive legal representation. To meet that constitutional requirement, our judicial system provides representation to all criminal defendants even if you can not afford representation of your own. However, your best representation will always be a representation that you choose for yourself, regardless of the crime.
In the case of a child abuse allegation, it is a charge that is difficult at best to defend. With the harsh commentary displayed by the media in high-profile abuse cases, representation by a highly-competent Los Angeles child abuse lawyer is important to the success of any defendant faced with such a charge. A privately-hired Los Angeles criminal defense attorney will competently devise a solid defense strategy for your specific situation as opposed to a public defender who has little time to devote to any one particular defendant.
Defenses that Los Angeles Child Abuse Attorneys Raise During Trial
Designed to protect children, laws governing crimes against children and the US justice system also make provisions to vindicate anyone who is wrongfully accused of a crime. Some defenses that are raised in defense of an abuse allegation include:
* False Allegations - more common that you might think, false child abuse allegations occur in various types of dysfunctional families as well as between parents involved in child custody disputes. Not easily proved to be false, allegations can be battled with an aggressive plan by showing proof that a lie was put forth or by disclosing evidence that an accuser has a pattern of similar conduct for making false accusations.
* Accidental injury - Accidents that cause injury to a child are not punishable by law unless they are the result of gross carelessness or recklessness.
* An injury that is the result of child abuse - Parents sometimes are falsely accused of child abuse when an injury is the result of a non-accident situation like a fight between two children, a pre-existing medical condition, or a genetic disorder.
* Parental discipline rights - Laws provide for parental discipline in any manner a parent chooses, so long as it dose not cause bodily injury and is reasonable.
* Religious beliefs and exemptions - A controversial topic, religious beliefs of non-intervention to treat illnesses allow parents to choose prayer for a sick child rather than certain invasive procedures.
* Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP) - A rare defense in which the injury to a child is the result of a caregiver lying about or promoting illnesses in a child to draw sympathy must be proven by medical or psychological data.
Defense of a Los Angeles Child Abuse Charge Requires a Sound Defense Strategy
The Manuelian Law Firm knows how to develop sound defense strategies to promote the most successful outcome for criminal defense clients. If you or a loved one has been charged with a child abuse in Los Angeles, contact R.J. Manuelian for a free evaluation of your case.