In Collin County, crimes against children are serious offenses that attract harsh penalties. Children are usually unable to defend and care for themselves, making them vulnerable to criminal acts. Crimes against children may occur in different ways and are usually devastating to the victims.
Efforts to get justice for victims include the establishment of a division of the County Criminal District Attorney’s office that is responsible for the prosecution of crimes cases involving crimes against children. The division focuses on criminal cases involving the sexual or physical abuse of a minor. The prosecutors, investigators, and other members of the division discharge their duties to help the victims and their families through the litigation process.
Usually, the prosecutors meet with the victim and their families to sensitize them about the court process and ensure that they do not face needless trauma during the case proceedings. The office of the District Attorney also partners with the
Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County (CACCC) to facilitate and ensure that they get justice for victims of crimes involving children.
The Texas Penal Code and Family Code highlight offenses against children and the penalties faced by anyone found guilty.
Types of Crimes Against Children
Crimes against children in Collin County usually occur in any the following ways:
Physical Abuse: This occurs when the offender inflicts physical injury on the child, resulting in significant harm to the physical wellbeing of the child. Physical abuse includes deliberate or reckless bodily injuries, bruises, fractures, or death due to the offender using their fists, other body parts, or a dangerous instrument to inflict injury on the child’s body.
Neglect or Abandonment: The state requires parents and the legal guardian of a child to perform some responsibilities to ensure that the child’s basic needs are provided. Failure of the parents to perform these responsibilities if they have the means can result in child malnourishment, poor health and hygiene, or absence from school.
Sexual Abuse: Sex crimes against children in the state are harshly punishable offenses. It may involve sexual harassment, incestuous acts, statutory rape, sodomy, indecency with a child, voyeurism, and all forms of sexual exploitation of a child. You may recognize if a child has been sexually abused by examining for physical symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, sexual victimization, and injury to the genital area.
Emotional Abuse: Under Texas law section 261.001, emotional abuse on a child can result in an impediment to the child’s growth and development. It can negatively affect their psychological functioning and result in low self-esteem, depression, social difficulty, and stunted intellectual development.