Contributing to the delinquency of a minor in Muskogee, Oklahoma is a serious and complicated crime. Exposing a child to bars or drugs or asking a child to join a gang can involve the loss of your freedom.
Thinking about harboring a runaway child? There could be serious consequences.
What is Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor?
The law prohibits any adult from knowingly encouraging, aiding, or abetting a minor (someone under the age of 18) to run away from home or to engage in other delinquent behavior. OUJI-CR 4-46
There are two categories of acts forbidden within the purview of the statute. An adult cannot aid a runaway, a child absent from the home without consent and without a compelling reason, and an adult cannot aid delinquency.
The statute defines delinquency as a minor violating any criminal law of the state such as: associating with thieves or immoral persons; going to a house of ill repute; gambling or going to places where gambling occurs; going to bars and the like; possessing any pornographic materials or engaging in lewd activities; using or carrying alcohol or other controlled substances; or being a runaway. Okla. Stat. tit. 21 § 857
When the adult is a parent of the child, the parent faces other penalties for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Okla. Stat. tit. 21 § 858.1
Additional Considerations
The crime is normally charged as a misdemeanor. However, there are some circumstances in which contributing to the delinquency of a minor can be charged as a felony offense.
For example, if the forbidden act that you are aiding the minor to commit is a felony, the matter against you will also be charged as a felony. Okla. Stat. tit. 21 § 856
A first misdemeanor conviction carries a fine of up to $1,000 and a jail term of up to one year. A subsequent misdemeanor offense can carry a fine up to $5,000 and a jail term of up to three years.
However, if the matter is charged as a felony, you can be punished with the maximum penalty for that offense. This could be a fine, a jail or prison term, or both. This can make the matter much more serious.
If an adult aids, abets, or solicits a minor into joining or participating in a street gang, the fine is $5,000 and up to five years in prison for the first offense.
Subsequent offenses are felonies, with prison sentences ranging from 5 to 10 years. Okla. Stat. tit. 21 § 856
Aiding or Abetting a Child to Commit a Drug-Related Crime
This is one of the more serious permutations of the law in Oklahoma. Oklahoma law prohibits an adult from aiding or encouraging a minor to participate in any drug-related crime.
If an adult uses a child to run, distribute, or manufacture controlled substances, that adult could be in violation of the statute.
If an adult gives a minor an illegal substance, that person could be in violation of the statute.
The crime is a felony and carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years and a fine of up to $200,000.
Low-cost Consultation: Muskogee Criminal Defense Lawyer
If you are being investigated or have already been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor in Oklahoma, contact an experienced Muskogee criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible to protect your legal rights.
Call Wirth Law Office – Muskogee today at 918-913-0725, or toll-free at 1-888-447-7262 [Wirth Law].
