We might think of a minor who is delinquent as little more than a minor who engages in pranks, but the opposite is true. A delinquent minor is a child who is embarking on a life path that will inevitably cause themselves and others harm.
Our responsibility as adults is to help our children, not harm them. As a result, Oklahoma law treats contributing to the delinquency of a minor seriously.
If a warrant has been issued for your arrest on a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in Tulsa, hire an attorney as soon as possible. Your attorney can help you surrender to law enforcement authorities and can help you build a strong defense before police ever get a chance to interrogate you. Here are some things that you might want to know.
What is Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor in Tulsa?
In Oklahoma, it is against the law to knowingly cause or encourage a child under 18 years of age to engage in certain acts that are deemed to contribute to that child’s delinquent behavior.
You cannot help a child to run away from home nor commit or engage in committing any act that if committed by an adult would be a felony. Nor can you encourage or solicit a child to participate in or join a gang. Okla. Stat. tit. 21 § 856
Understanding What the Statute Prohibits
So what does the contributing to the delinquency of a minor statute prohibit? This is a broadly written statute that covers quite a bit of ground. There are some obvious behaviors that are prohibited.
Serving alcohol or other illegal substances to a child or helping a child procure those substances is prohibited, but so is keeping your child home from school unnecessarily.
Soliciting a child for prostitution, exposing a child to pornography, asking a child to carry drugs, and exposing a child to inappropriate environments are also prohibited acts under the statute.
Penalties are Stiff
As the prohibited acts vary, so do the penalties for contributing to the delinquency of a minor in Tulsa.
A first offense is treated as a misdemeanor crime. While a misdemeanor conviction is not as serious as a felony conviction, it is still punishable by a jail term of up to one year, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.
With subsequent convictions, penalties begin to escalate. Subsequent violations are treated as felonies and the punishment escalates to a prison term of up to three years, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.
The penalty is much more severe if you are convicted of this crime and you encouraged or helped a child to commit a felony. In that case, you could face the maximum jail term allowed by the law for that felony.
Finally, if you solicit or aid a child in joining or participating in any sort of gang activity, you could face up to five years in prison for the first offense. Oklahoma law enforcement is serious about punishing this sort of behavior.
Defenses
In order to be convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in Tulsa, you must engage in the behavior knowingly and willingly.
If you do not know nor have reason to believe that the child is a minor, you may have a viable defense. But the belief must be reasonable. If the child looks older and shows you identification with an older age on it, you may be off the hook if you unwittingly buy alcohol for the child.
There is also a statutory defense regarding helping a runaway. You can help a child run away if there is a compelling reason such as danger to the child’s immediate physical, emotional, or mental health. This defense crops up often in cases of abuse in the home.
Initial Strategy Session: Tulsa Criminal Defense Attorney
If you or someone you know is charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor in Oklahoma, please contact a Tulsa criminal defense attorney to discuss your available legal options.
Consult with an experienced Tulsa attorney today, by calling 918-756-9600 .
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