When it comes to child-adult relationships, the saying goes, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” However, does the Georgia criminal justice system apply this rationale to drug crimes? In this blog post, The Abt Law Firm examines if parents can be arrested due to their child’s drug charges.
Will Charges Fall on Parents of Juvenile Drug Offenders?
Essentially, a parent can only be arrested in consideration of a child’s drug crime if he or she was an accessory to the crime.
For example, if a parent knowingly gives a child drugs to sell to classmates, the parent can be charged for knowingly supplying the drugs in the first place. In this situation, the parent is charged for the crime he or she committed (e.g., knowingly giving drugs to the child) rather than the child’s crime of selling the drugs.
However, the example given above is not the same as police charging a parent for a child’s crimes. The criminal justice system cannot charge parents for a child’s legal mistakes; therefore, parents cannot be arrested for their child’s drug crimes.
For example, if a minor steals prescription drugs from a parent without the parent’s knowledge, and the police caught the child selling drugs, the parent wouldn’t be criminally charged for their child’s actions.
Civil Liability
While parents cannot face criminal charges on behalf of their children’s actions, they can face civil lawsuits for negligence. For example, if a father’s negligence with his prescription drugs leads his child to sell the drugs to a classmate, and the classmate is injured from the drugs, the father could be sued on behalf of his child’s actions.
Need an Attorney for Your Child?
Although parents do not face penalties for their child’s drug crimes, they will want to defend their rights. The Abt Law Firm is ready to fight for your child’s drug charges no matter the offense. Our juvenile drug charge attorneys have the experience your child’s case needs.
Call (678) 582-2272 now for a free consultation for your case!