West Virginia Code Ann. § § 61-8D-4 specifies that acts or omissions that amount to gross negligence and create a serious risk of death or serious injury are criminal offenses. This is a high injury level/risk threshold for criminal conduct. While this is a tighter statute than many, it would authorize some prosecutions of children left unsupervised where the authorities viewed that decision as “grossly negligent.”
West Virginia’s Child Welfare Act defines a neglected child as one whose “physical or mental health is harmed or threatened by a present refusal, failure or inability of the child’s parent, guardian, or custodian to supply the child with necessary food, clothing, shelter, supervision, etc. or who is without supervision (and other necessary care) because of the disappearance or absence of the parent or custodian. W.Vir. Code Ann. § 49-1 and W. Vir. Code Ann. § 49-201 .
This webpage is not a legal document, and Let Grow does not take responsibility for the content. Be mindful that some localities have rules and guidelines even when the state does not. When in doubt, consult your local authorities to confirm the laws where you live. What’s more, laws change, as do judicial interpretations of them, and this webpage may not be updated immediately.
Right now, most states’ neglect laws are incredibly open-ended. They say things like, “Parent must provide proper supervision.” We agree! But people have different ideas of what that entails. Select a state below to learn more about their laws, policies and how Let Grow is helping.