A media report on an unfortunate incident at a Teterboro, New Jersey Walmart highlights how poor skills correcting or disciplining a young child can lead to child endangerment charges. The report indicates that when Walmart asset protection personnel detained a shopper for suspected shoplifting, the shopper kicked and shook her year-old child, attempting to stop the child from crying. The Walmart personnel called police, who arrested the shopper on criminal charges of child endangerment, assault, shoplifting, and criminal mischief. Police left the year-old child with the shopper's sister after ambulance personnel called to the scene to evaluate the child found her uninjured.

Don't Let Discipline or Frustration Become Abuse

Young parents like the above Walmart shopper can have widely varying parenting experience and skill. Parents having reasonable skill in managing babies and infants, and correcting and discipling young children, generally know better than to shake the child. Serious injury can result from neck and other injuries. Kicking an infant or young child could also harm the child without managing or improving the child's mood or behavior. Parents managing infants and young children with force that can injure the child need warning and training. But when their actions cross the line from discipline or frustration to abuse, they need more than training. They may need a good New Jersey criminal defense lawyer.

New Jersey Child Endangerment Charges

The Walmart shopper may not have committed a crime. Leave that question to the court and evidence. But New Jersey criminal law clearly provides for child endangerment charges, referring to other state statutes defining child abuse and neglect. Indeed, New Jersey treats child endangerment as an especially serious crime. New Jersey law ordinarily makes child endangerment a second-degree felony punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $150,000 fine. Other circumstances can either raise the charge to a first-degree felony punishable by up to twenty years in prison or lower the charge to the third degree punishable by up to five years in prison. Criminal charges, though, aren't your only risk when using excessive force to manage, correct, or discipline a child. You could also face a Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P) proceeding seeking to remove your child from your care.

Premier New Jersey Criminal Defense Attorney

Get the skilled and experienced New Jersey criminal defense attorney representation you need if you face child endangerment charges or a DCP&P proceeding based on child abuse or neglect allegations. You have far too much at stake to do anything less than retain the best available defense attorney. Whether your issue is child endangerment, assault, or other New Jersey criminal charges, or child abuse or neglect allegations in a DCP&P proceeding, retain premier New Jersey criminal defense attorney Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Team for your best outcome. Call 888.535.3686 or go online now.