Bill Text: WV HB4244 | 2012 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Eliminating eligibility for parole for the offenses of abuse, neglect or death of an incapacitated adult, murder of a child by a parent, guardian or custodian by refusal to supply necessities
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-20 - To House Judiciary [HB4244 Detail]
Download: West_Virginia-2012-HB4244-Introduced.html
H. B. 4244
(By Delegates Kump, Rowan and Householder)
[Introduced January 20, 2012; referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §61-2-29 and §61-2-29a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; and to amend and reenact §61-8D-2, §61-8D-2a, §61-8D-4a and §61-8D-5 of said code, all relating to eliminating eligibility for parole for the offenses of abuse, neglect or death of an incapacitated adult, murder of a child by a parent, guardian or custodian by refusal to supply necessities, death of a child by a parent, guardian or custodian by child abuse, child neglect resulting in death, or sexual abuse of a child by a parent, guardian or custodian.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §61-2-29 and §61-2-29a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted; and that §61-8D-2, §61-8D-2a, §61-8D-4a and §61-8D-5 be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. CRIMES AGAINST THE PERSON.
§61-2-29. Abuse or neglect of incapacitated adult; definitions; penalties.
(a) The following words, when used in this section and sections twenty -nine-a and twenty-nine-b of this article, have the meaning ascribed, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "Abuse" means the intentional infliction of bodily injury on an incapacitated adult;
(2) “Bodily injury” means substantial physical pain, illness or any impairment of physical condition;
(3) "Caregiver" means any person who has assumed the legal responsibility or a contractual obligation for the care of an incapacitated adult, or has voluntarily assumed responsibility for the care of an incapacitated adult. The term includes a facility operated by any public or private agency, organization or institution which provides services to, and has assumed responsibility for the care of an incapacitated adult.
(4)"Incapacitated adult" means any person eighteen years of age or older who by reason of advanced age, physical, mental or other infirmity is unable to carry on the daily activities of life necessary to sustaining life and reasonable health;
(5) “Neglect” means the unreasonable failure by a caregiver to provide the care necessary to assure the physical safety or health of an incapacitated adult; and
(6) "Serious bodily injury" means bodily injury which creates a substantial risk of death, which causes serious or prolonged disfigurement, prolonged impairment of health or prolonged loss or impairment of the function of any bodily organ.
(b) A caregiver who neglects an incapacitated adult or who knowingly permits another person to neglect an incapacitated adult is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500 or confined in jail for not more than one year, or both fined and confined.
(c) A caregiver who abuses an incapacitated adult or who knowingly permits another person to abuse an incapacitated adult is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500 or confined in jail for not less than ninety days nor more than one year, or both fined and confined.
(d) A caregiver of an incapacitated adult who intentionally and maliciously abuses or neglects an incapacitated adult and causes the incapacitated adult bodily injury is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $1,000 and imprisoned in a state correctional facility not less than two years nor more than ten years.
(e) A caregiver of an incapacitated adult who intentionally and maliciously abuses or neglects an incapacitated adult and causes the incapacitated adult serious bodily injury is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000 and imprisoned in a state correctional facility not less than three years nor more than fifteen years.
(f) Nothing in this section or in section twenty-nine-a of this article shall be construed to mean an adult is abused or neglected for the sole reason that his or her independent decision is to rely upon treatment by spiritual means in accordance with the tenets and practices of a recognized church or religious denomination or organization in lieu of medical treatment.
(g) Nothing in this section or in section twenty-nine-a of this article shall be construed to mean an incapacitated adult is abused or neglected if deprivation of life-sustaining treatment or other act has been provided by the West Virginia Health Care Decisions Act, pursuant to article thirty, chapter sixteen of this code.
(h) Notwithstanding any provision in this code to the contrary, a person convicted of an offense under this section is not eligible for parole.
§61-2-29a. Death of an incapacitated adult by a caregiver.
(a) A caregiver who intentionally and maliciously neglects an incapacitated adult causing death is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $5,000 and be imprisoned in a state correctional facility for a definite term of not less than five nor more than fifteen years.
(b) A caregiver of an incapacitated adult who causes the death of an incapacitated adult by knowingly allowing any other person to intentionally or maliciously neglect the incapacitated adult is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $5,000 and be imprisoned in a state correctional facility for a definite term of not less than five nor more than fifteen years.
(c) A caregiver of an incapacitated adult who intentionally and maliciously abuses an incapacitated adult which causes the death of the incapacitated adult is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned in a state correctional facility for a definite term of not less than five nor more than forty years.
(d) A caregiver of an incapacitated adult who causes the death of an incapacitated adult by knowingly allowing any other person to intentionally and maliciously abuse an incapacitated adult is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned in a state correctional facility for a definite term of not less than five nor more than forty years.
(e) The provisions of this section do not apply to any caregiver or health care provider who, without malice, fails or refuses, or allows another person to, without malice, fail or refuse, to supply an incapacitated adult with necessary medical care when the medical care conflicts with the tenets and practices of a recognized religious denomination or order of which the incapacitated adult is an adherent member.
(f) Notwithstanding any provision in this code to the contrary, a person convicted of an offense under this section is not eligible for parole.
ARTICLE 8D. CHILD ABUSE.
§61-8D-2. Murder of a child by a parent, guardian or custodian or other person by refusal or failure to supply necessities, or by delivery, administration or ingestion of a controlled substance; penalties.
(a) If any parent, guardian or custodian shall maliciously and intentionally cause the death of a child under his or her care, custody or control by his or her failure or refusal to supply such child with necessary food, clothing, shelter or medical care, then such parent, guardian or custodian shall be guilty of murder in the first degree.
(b) If any parent, guardian or custodian shall cause the death of a child under his or her care, custody or control by knowingly allowing any other person to maliciously and intentionally fail or refuse to supply such child with necessary food, clothing, shelter or medical care, then such other person and such parent, guardian or custodian shall each be guilty of murder in the first degree.
(c) The penalty for offenses defined by this section shall be that which is prescribed for murder in the first degree under the provisions of section two, article two of this chapter. Notwithstanding any provision in this code to the contrary, a person convicted of an offense under this section is not eligible for parole.
(d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any parent, guardian or custodian who fails or refuses, or allows another person to fail or refuse, to supply a child under the care, custody or control of such parent, guardian or custodian with necessary medical care, when such medical care conflicts with the tenets and practices of a recognized religious denomination or order of which such parent, guardian or custodian is an adherent or member.
§61-8D-2a. Death of a child by a parent, guardian or custodian or other person by child abuse; criminal penalties.
(a) If any parent, guardian or custodian shall maliciously and intentionally inflict upon a child under his or her care, custody or control substantial physical pain, illness or any impairment of physical condition by other than accidental means, thereby causing the death of such child, then such parent, guardian or custodian shall be guilty of a felony.
(b) If any parent, guardian or custodian shall knowingly allow any other person to maliciously and intentionally inflict upon a child under the care, custody or control of such parent, guardian or custodian substantial physical pain, illness or any impairment of physical condition by other than accidental means, which thereby causes the death of such child, then such other person and such parent, guardian or custodian shall each be guilty of a felony.
(c) Any person convicted of a felony described in subsection (a) or (b) of this section shall be punished by a definite term of imprisonment in the penitentiary a correctional facility which is not less than ten nor more than forty years. A person imprisoned pursuant to the provisions of this section is not eligible for parole prior to having served a minimum of ten years of his or her sentence or the minimum period required by the provisions of section thirteen, article twelve, chapter sixty-two of this code, whichever is greater. Notwithstanding any provision in this code to the contrary, a person convicted of an offense under this section is not eligible for parole.
(d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any parent, guardian or custodian or other person who, without malice, fails or refuses, or allows another person to, without malice, fail or refuse, to supply a child under the care, custody or control of such parent, guardian or custodian with necessary medical care, when such medical care conflicts with the tenets and practices of a recognized religious denomination or order of which such parent, guardian or custodian is an adherent or member. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any health care provider who fails or refuses, or allows another person to fail or refuse, to supply a child with necessary medical care when such medical care conflicts with the tenets and practices of a recognized religious denomination or order of which the parent, guardian or custodian of the child is an adherent or member, or where such failure or refusal is pursuant to a properly executed do not resuscitate form.
§61-8D-4a. Child neglect resulting in death; criminal penalties.
(a) If any parent, guardian or custodian shall neglect a child under his or her care, custody or control and by such neglect cause the death of said child, then such parent, guardian or custodian shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000 or committed to the custody of the Division of Corrections for not less than three nor more than fifteen years, or both such fine and imprisonment. Notwithstanding any provision in this code to the contrary, a person convicted of an offense under this section is not eligible for parole.
(b) No child who in lieu of medical treatment was under treatment solely by spiritual means through prayer in accordance with a recognized method of religious healing with a reasonable proven record of success shall, for that reason alone, be considered to have been neglected within the provisions of this section. A method of religious healing shall be presumed to be a recognized method of religious healing if fees and expenses incurred in connection with such treatment are permitted to be deducted from taxable income as "medical expenses" pursuant to regulations or rules promulgated by the United States Internal Revenue Service.
(c) A child whose parent, guardian or legal custodian has inhibited or interfered with the provision of medical treatment in accordance with a court order may be considered to have been neglected for the purposes of this section.
§61-8D-5. Sexual abuse by a parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust to a child; parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust allowing sexual abuse to be inflicted upon a child; displaying of sex organs by a parent, guardian, or custodian; penalties.
(a) In addition to any other offenses set forth in this code, the Legislature hereby declares a separate and distinct offense under this subsection, as follows: If any parent, guardian or custodian of or other person in a position of trust in relation to a child under his or her care, custody or control, shall engage in or attempt to engage in sexual exploitation of, or in sexual intercourse, sexual intrusion or sexual contact with, a child under his or her care, custody or control, notwithstanding the fact that the child may have willingly participated in such conduct, or the fact that the child may have consented to such conduct or the fact that the child may have suffered no apparent physical injury or mental or emotional injury as a result of such conduct, then such parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned in a correctional facility not less than ten nor more than twenty years, or fined not less than $500 nor more than $5,000 and imprisoned in a correctional facility not less than ten years nor more than twenty years.
(b) Any parent, guardian, custodian or other person in a position of trust in relation to the child who knowingly procures, authorizes, or induces another person to engage in or attempt to engage in sexual exploitation of, or sexual intercourse, sexual intrusion or sexual contact with, a child under the care, custody or control of such parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust when such child is less than sixteen years of age, notwithstanding the fact that the child may have willingly participated in such conduct or the fact that the child may have suffered no apparent physical injury or mental or emotional injury as a result of such conduct, such parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned in a correctional facility not less than five years nor more than fifteen years, or fined not less than $1,000 nor more than $10,000 and imprisoned in a correctional facility not less than five years nor more than fifteen years.
(c) Any parent, guardian, custodian or other person in a position of trust in relation to the child who knowingly procures, authorizes, or induces another person to engage in or attempt to engage in sexual exploitation of, or sexual intercourse, sexual intrusion or sexual contact with, a child under the care, custody or control of such parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust when such child is sixteen years of age or older, notwithstanding the fact that the child may have consented to such conduct or the fact that the child may have suffered no apparent physical injury or mental or emotional injury as a result of such conduct, then such parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned in a correctional facility not less than one year nor more than five years.
(d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to a custodian or person in a position of trust whose age exceeds the age of the child by less than four years.
(e) Notwithstanding any provision in this code to the contrary, a person convicted of an offense under this section is not eligible for parole.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to eliminate eligibility for parole for the offenses of abuse, neglect or death of an incapacitated adult, murder of a child by parent, guardian or custodian, death of a child by parent, guardian or custodian by child abuse, child neglect resulting in death, or sexual abuse of a child by parent, guardian or custodian.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.
