Child Endangerment Defenses - Penal Code Section 273a
Child under 18
If you are charged with child endangerment, there must be a child victim. Therefore, the victim must be under the age of 18. Under the law, a person becomes one year older as soon as the first minute of his or her birthday has begun.
Reasonable Discipline
Furthermore, a viable defense when facing a child endangerment charge is that the defendant acted in a reasonable manner in disciplining the child. The law allows parents and teachers to discipline the child in a reasonable manner such as spanking with the hand. However, using instruments such as a large wooden stick or wooden paddle may rise to the level of physical abuse that qualifies as child endangerment.
In addition, if you are a parent and found guilty of child endangerment, social services may begin an investigation and possibly lead to removing the child from your custody. Therefore, it is important to speak with an experienced attorney at Wallin and Klarich if you are charged with child endangerment.
