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Endangering a Child

Abandoning or placing a child in a situation where the child is exposed to unreasonable risk of harm is a felony. Each state has a different age limit for its child endangerment statutes ranging as high as 16 years old. When a person intentionally places a child in danger of bodily harm or death, the severity of the felony increases, and the maximum time of possible incarceration increases along with it. Parents who leave children alone for days at a time have been convicted of endangering a child, even where the children were able to fend for themselves or with the help of neighbors.