Child Abuse Cases in Annapolis & Ocean City

There are two types of child abuse cases commonly prosecuted in the state courts:

Physical Child Abuse Cases

The first type are cases charging physical child abuse. These charges in these cases are often exaggerated or involve lawful corporal punishment. Photos are often not accurate and made to cause alleged injuries to look worse than they truly are. Social workers are often involved working with police detectives. Experience dealing with them is often most helpful. Often parenting plans can get worked out without prejudice to the criminal charges. Often medical experts can be helpful to prepare a defense. We offer referrals to counselors to help keep family's together and give the courts better sentencing options in the event the charges are proven by the prosecution.

Sexual Child Abuse Cases

The second type of child abuse cases we often defend involve sexual child abusecharges. These cases often involve the potential for serious jail sentences and sex offender registration. Experience dealing with these cases is critical. Medical experts and counselors are often helpful in preparing a defense. Referrals to counseling is often advisable to develop lesser sentencing options for the court.

Penalties are substantial in cases of child sexual abuse. If the charges become public, it can cause great personal embarrassment and also put your relationship with your family, friends and employer at risk. If you are under investigation for child sexual abuse, call Murphy & Price, LLP, at 410-280-2500 for a free initial consultation before you talk to the police.

Our criminal defense attorneys share extensive experience prosecuting and defending people charged with sex crimes, such as child sexual abuse. Their primary goal as a legal counsel in a child sex abuse case is to look for a winning defense, so you can be found not guilty. If the only witness against you is a young child who may not be able to testify, their focus is to defend the case and try to win an acquittal.

However, if you have confessed to the crime or if the state's evidence is strong, we also have to plan for the possibility that there might be conviction and a sentencing hearing. In child sexual abuse cases, we often refer our clients to a psychiatrist, psychologist or sex offense therapist early in the process to give the court less serious sentencing alternatives in the event of conviction.

People charged with child sex crimes are often emotionally devastated. Talking to a professional counselor at the direction of an attorney can help you deal with the issues you are facing and maximize the chances of the communications remaining privileged. It can also help you in the event of a conviction. By showing the court that one is amenable to treatment and not likely to reoffend, we may be able to get the court to consider a suspended sentence or probation before judgment where permitted by law rather than a prison sentence. We often use sex offense therapists to testify as expert witnesses in child sexual abuse cases to mitigate the potential penalties.

Free consultation: Contact an Annapolis, Maryland, criminal defense attorney at Murphy & Price, LLP, for a complimentary evaluation of your child sexual abuse case.