H. B. 2460
(By Delegates Marcum, Phillips, R., Ferro, Diserio,
Ferns, Lawrence, Campbell, White, Pethtel, Marshall and
Fleischauer)
[Introduced February 14, 2013; referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary then Finance.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §61-8D-4 of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to creating a new offense for child
neglect by a parent, guardian or custodian which creates a
substantial risk of bodily injury and providing penalties upon
conviction.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §61-8D-4 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 8D. CHILD ABUSE.
§61-8D-4. Child neglect resulting in injury; child neglect
creating risk of injury; criminal penalties.
(a) If any a parent, guardian or custodian shall neglect
neglects a child and by such neglect cause said causes a child
bodily injury, as such term is defined in section one, article
eight-b of this chapter, then such the parent, guardian or
custodian shall be is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $1,000
dollars or committed to the custody of the Division of Corrections
imprisoned in a state correctional facility for not less than one
nor more than three years, or in the discretion of the court, be
confined in the county jail for not more than one year, or both
such fine and confinement or imprisonment. fined and confined or
imprisoned.
(b) If any a parent, guardian or custodian shall neglect
neglects a child and by such neglect cause said the child serious
bodily injury, as such term is defined in section one, article
eight-b of this chapter, then such the parent, guardian or
custodian shall be is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction
thereof, shall be fined not less than $300 nor more than $1,000
dollars or committed to the custody of the Division of Corrections
imprisoned in a state correctional facility for not less than one
nor more than ten years, or both such fine and imprisonment fined
and imprisoned.
(c) If a parent, guardian or custodian grossly neglects a
child and by that gross neglect creates a substantial risk of
serious bodily injury, as defined in section one, article eight-b
of this chapter, or of death to the child, then the parent,
guardian or custodian is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction
thereof, shall be fined not more than $3,000 dollars and imprisoned
in a state correctional facility for not less than one nor more than five years.
__(d) If a parent, guardian or custodian neglects a child and by
that neglect creates a substantial risk of bodily injury, as
defined in section one, article eight-b of this chapter, to the
child, then the parent, guardian or custodian, is guilty of a
misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, for a first offense,
shall be fined not less than $500 nor more than $1,000 or confined
in jail not less than thirty days nor more than six months or both
fined and confined. Persons convicted of a first offense under this
subsection shall also be required to complete a parenting plan and
parenting education class. For a second offense, the parent,
guardian or custodian is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon
conviction thereof, shall be fined no more than $1,000 and confined
in jail not less than thirty days nor more than one year. For a
third or subsequent offense, the parent, guardian or custodian is
guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not
more than $2,000 and imprisoned in a state correctional facility
not less than one year nor more than three years.
__(e) The provisions of this section shall not apply:
__(1) If the neglect by the parent, guardian or custodian is due
primarily to a lack of financial means on the part of such parent,
guardian or custodian; or
__(d) The provisions of this section shall not apply
(2) To any a parent, guardian or custodian who fails or refuses, or allows another person to fail or refuse, to supply a
child under the care, custody or control of such parent, guardian
or custodian with necessary medical care, when such medical care
conflicts with the tenets and practices of a recognized religious
denomination or order of which such the parent, guardian or
custodian is an adherent or member.
(e) Any person who grossly neglects a child and by the gross
neglect creates a substantial risk of serious bodily injury or of
death to the child is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction
thereof, shall be fined not more than three thousand dollars and
confined to the custody of the Division of Corrections for not less
than one nor more than five years.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to create a new offense
for
child neglect by a parent, guardian or custodian which creates a
substantial risk of bodily injury, to provide penalties upon
conviction and make stylistic changes.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.