Why you need a criminal defense attorney in a child abuse case
Sadly, there are always reports of child abuse that usually happen in family law cases. Therefore, if someone is accusing you of child abuse, there is a chance that you may be figuring out how you can proceed defending yourself. With so much at stake, it’s important to have another person on your side that can assist you clear your name. Hence, the best thing you can do is to hire a Colorado Springs child abuse attorney who has the right experience dealing with similar cases to yours.
Remember it can be hard to defend yourself against such cases, especially if there is testimony of a child. Besides this testimony, the negative publicity of child abuse offenders by the media can make it even harder to overcome a child abuse allegation. The child abuse laws are designed to protect children, but the justice system is there to vindicate the people who are wrongfully accused. This page explains why you need a criminal defense attorney in a child abuse case.
Understanding child abuse charges
Depending on the state where you live, some states refer child abuse as the non-accidental act of inflicting several things to a minor. These include neglect, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and sexual exploitation.
A child abuse case is one of the crimes that you can heavily be punished. This is because state lawmakers intend to protect all the children from harm and this is right. However, the tricky part is that there can be reports of child abuses and some of them are not true. This can cause dangerous legal situations for innocent people.
For example, a teacher, doctor, or neighbor can report suspicious bruising or even consider that your child is experiencing abuse. Keep in mind the state laws require some professionals to report any suspicion of child abuse. When the case goes to court, a person associated with the child can have a frightening experience.
Hiring a child abuse attorney
While child protective services, law enforcement, and others working in the criminal justice system need to do their work and are focused on protecting children from neglect and abuse, there can be a significant impact on a wrongfully accused person. The exposure, the effects of a criminal trial, and the long-term threat of incarceration can be real. Aside from these things, you can have the social stigma and carry the label of a child abuser for the rest of your life.
Therefore, if the authorities are investigation you, you need to get the services of an experienced child abuse defense attorney. You need to do this even before you talk to any investigator. You should note that an investigation is designed to gather more evidence so that they can prove their criminal charges.
This is why you must have a lawyer to protect you against the authorities who want to question you. After all, you don’t want to be cooperative and unintentionally incriminate yourself. A reputable attorney knows how to protect your rights and can immediately launch defense actions.
