How Long Can You Leave a Child Unattended In Illinois?

In today’s society, children are not left alone.  Kids just aren’t trusted to be on their own. The concern is rarely the children themselves but outside threats, perceived or real. Still, it is impractical to think that a parent will never ever leave their child alone.  Sometimes a parent has to go to the store, jog around the block, or talk to a neighbor outside.  The wisdom of each absence of a parent from a child is always debatable…until something happens to the child. A child getting hurt, lost, or sick because they weren’t supervised is a problem. But, if the child’s other parent is no longer partners with the parent who wasn’t watching the now hurt child finds out….it’s going to be a massive problem. Every parent should know exactly what the law or the standard is regarding leaving a child home alone in Illinois. Is Leaving A Child Unattended A Crime In Illinois? In Illinois, leaving a child alone is a crime under some circumstances. It’s called “Child Abandonment” “A person commits child abandonment when he or she, as a parent, guardian, or other person having physical custody or control of a child, without regard for the mental or physical health, safety, or welfare of that child, knowingly leaves that child who is under the age of 13 without supervision by a responsible person over the age of 14 for a period of 24 hours or more.” 720 ILCS 5/12C-10(a) So, the short answer is “don’t leave a child ages 0 to 12 home alone.” And if you have a babysitter, In Illinois, the babysitter cannot be 13 years old.  The babysitter must be 14 per the statute.  “Child abandonment is a Class 4 felony. A second or subsequent offense after a prior conviction is a Class 3 felony.” 720 ILCS 5/12C-10(c) For Class 4 Felonies, “The sentence of imprisonment shall be a determinate sentence of not less than one year and not more than 3 years.” 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-45 For Class 3 Felonies, “The sentence of imprisonment shall be a determinate sentence of not less than 2 years and not more than 5 years.” 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-40 Illinois criminal courts are not throwing parents in prison for years for abandoning their children for a few moments (or even days).  Parents automatically get probation.  “A person commits endangering the life or health of a child when he or […]

from Russell D. Knight | Family Lawyer Chicago https://rdklegal.com/how-long-can-you-leave-a-child-unattended-in-illinois/