JL Ch. 5- Child Endangerment Flashcards
(136 cards)
Reckless Endangerment to Child:
Elements: (2)
The suspect must have
- Action: Recklessly engaged in conduct that created a substantial risk of serious bodily injury, or sexual abuse to a child under the age of 18
OR
- Inaction: Recklessly failed to take reasonable steps to prevent a substantial risk of serious bodily injury, or sexual abuse, to a child under 18- provided that the suspect had a legal duty to act on behalf of the child.
The suspect must have
- Action: Recklessly engaged in conduct that created a substantial risk of serious bodily injury, or sexual abuse to a child under the age of 18
OR
- Inaction: Recklessly failed to take reasonable steps to prevent a substantial risk of serious bodily injury, or sexual abuse, to a child under 18- provided that the suspect had a legal duty to act on behalf of the child.
Reckless Endangerment To Child Ch. 265 sec 13L.
ROA: Complaint
Reckless Endangerment to a Child:
ROA:
Arrest for breach of peace. Otherwise, Complaint.
Note: This crime often occurs in conjunction with other arrestable offenses involving domestic violence, sexual assault, etc.
In almost all situations where this crime applies, officers should file a 51A.
Moreover, it may be necessary for DCF to initiate a Care & Protection.
Reckless Endangerment to Child:
Age of the child:
Under the age of 18.
Reckless Endangerment to a Child can be committed in two ways. What is the 1st?
- Action: Recklessly engaged in conduct that created a substantial risk of serious bodily injury, or sexual abuse to a child under the age of 18
Reckless Endangerment to a Child can be committed in two ways. What is the 2nd?
- Inaction: Recklessly failed to take reasonable steps to prevent a substantial risk of serious bodily injury, or sexual abuse, to a child under 18- provided that the suspect had a legal duty to act on behalf of the child.
*Remember, the failure to act may only be the basis for this crime when the suspect has a legal duty to protect the child (parent, teacher, babysitter, camp counselor, etc.)
(Blank) occurs when a person consciously disregards a substantial and unjustifiable risk that his acts or failure to act will result in serious bodily injury or sexual abuse to a child under 18. Disregarding the risk must be a “gross deviation” from reasonable conduct.
Reckless Behavior.
Reckless Endangerment to Child
The failure to act may only be the basis for this crime when the suspect:
has a legal duty to protect the child (parent, teacher, babysitter, camp counselor, etc.)
(blank) results in permanent disfigurement, protracted loss or impairment of a bodily function, limb, or organ, or substantial risk of death.
Serious bodily injury
Sexual abuse encompasses: (7 charges):
- Indecent A&B on a Child under 14
- Indecent A&B on a person 14 or Over
- Rape
- Forcible Rape of a Child under 16
- Statutory Rape
- Assault with intent to Rape
- Assault of a Child with intent to Rape
Operation of a motor vehicle MAY be child endangerment:
2 examples (1 of each)
Yes- Leading police on a wild chase
No- Unsecure in child seat (based on the example in the book)
The defendant was involved in a multi vehicle accident in which her two nephews- 4 year old Dylan and 16 month old Jayce- died. The defendant and her four year old son were seriously injured. At the time of the accident, Dylan was on the rear middle seat of the defendant’s 4 door sedan with a seat belt on but not a proper child safety seat. Jayce was in the rear passenger area in a front-facing seat with the straps set too high. He should have been secured in a rear facing seat.
Did this constitute Reckless Endangerment of a Child?
No.
The SJC acknowledged this terrible tragedy, but felt that the failure to properly restrain a child, while negligent, did not amount to the type of reckless behavior required for the crime of endangerment. To be reckless, an offender must consciously disregard an obvious risk of serious injury or death.
John Soares was living with Miriam Oliveira and their 10 month old son. Soares was angry that the baby began crying while he was trying to nap. He pinched the baby’s feet and hit him in the head to make him stop. He then threw the child against the wall. When Oliviera pick the baby up, Coares threw a chair against the wall, breaking it into pieces.
Which act by Oliveira constituted Reckless endangerment to the child?
Throwing the chair was reckless endangerment: the chair was medium weight and was thrown with enough force to break it into pieces. Oliveira, who was holding the baby, had to move away from it’s falling piece.
While the child’s mother was holding the one year old, the defendant punched her in the face.
By punching his wife, what are the two ways the defendant risked endangerment to the child?
- He could have struck the baby
- His wife could have dropped the baby
A father is shitfaced and walking on the railroad tracks with his 11 year old son:
Was this child endangerment?
Yes.
Father exposed his son to a risk that no reasonable person would permit. Walking on a trailroad track creates a substantial risk of bodily injury. The father exacerbated this risk by being so intoxicated that he fell down. Had a train approached, the son would have risked his life trying to move his father to safety.
10 month old child died after his foster parents failed to seek medical treatment for him. The symptoms persisted for over two weeks. Foster parents were aware of his condition. They were also aware that as foster parents they could seek medical treatment for him at no cost to them. Based on security footage in the house, the child can be seen gasping for air as the foster father puts another child to bed in the same room. 10 month died an hour later.
Was this Reckless Endangerment to Child?
Yes.
the foster parents knew, or reasonably should have known, the child was at risk of substantial harm without medical treatment. They had a duty to act, but failed to do so.
**Note: the foster parents were also properly charged with involuntary manslaugter
Not providing timely or proper medical care to a child may be:
Reckless Endangerment to Child (under 18).
Reckless Endangerment to Child:
Examples:
Was leaving hot curling iron in a place 3.5 year old child could reach it, while knowing the child like to play with the straightener, reckless endangerment of a child?
Yes.
foster mother also did not take child to the hospital immediately after the burn incident, but instead waited for foster father to discover the injuries 8 to 24 hours later.
True or false:
The fact that another person has legal custody of the child does not absolve other caretakers of criminal liability for their actions in relation to the child.
True.
Other persons may also have a duty to prevent harm to a child.
ex. grandmother refuses to drive teenage daughter and baby with a skull fracture to the hospital, in order to prevent mothers boyfriend from getting in trouble, because he had dropped the baby.
May drunken or drugged behavior in front of children amount to Reckless Endangerment of Child?
Yes.
ex. father passed out in his car after taking painkillers and drinking booze. His children- 5, 3, and 8 months- were left unsupervised. Next to him int he car, was a loaded, cocked gun. Surely their father’s presence in the car could have easily drawn the children to find the gun. The empty beer cans and bottle of liquor in his car showed he spent a substantial amount of time drinking there.
Can permitting children to consume alcohol or drugs (including marijuana) amount to Reckless Endangerment of Child?
Yes.
Ex. parents drinking with children at an underage party. One of the guests becomes extremely ill. the next morning, mother injects this girl with “medicine” she took from her job at a nursing home. Father acknowledged that his wife had made a mistake, and said he would lie to police to cover it up- Both parents properly charged with Reckless Endangerment to Child; Mother also charged with ABDW for administering the syringe of “medicine”.
Reckless endangerment to child:
Was overwhelming marijuana smoke, that caused an officer to get lightheaded, in an apartment with small children Reckless Endangerment to child?
Yes.
EMS was called to transport the children to the hospital to be evaluated for marijuana exposure.
The potential harm to these children constituted reckless endangerment.
Is Drug distribution in a home, by itself, Reckless endangerment of child?
NO. Ex. father was the leader of a drug distribution organization. Children were present on a number of occasions where an undercover bought heroin in the home, and saw heroin being packaged by adults in the home.
Still, no evidence the father or anyone else possessed a gun or dangerous weapon in the home, or that any violence occurred there, or that drugs were left unattended in reach of children.
The endangerment law does not criminalize everything that creates a risk to children. It does not evebn criminalize the use of a child to aid in the distribution of drugs absent a substantial risk of physical or sexual harm to the child (although Inducing a Minor to Distribute Drugs would apply)