Illinois § 12C-5

Illinois Statutes

§ 12C-5

Illinois § 12C-5

JurisdictionIllinois

TopicRIGHTS AND REMEDIES

Ch. 720CRIMINAL OFFENSES

Act 720 ILCS 5/Criminal Code of 2012.

Art.Title III - Specific Offenses

This text of Illinois § 12C-5 is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

720 Ill. Comp. Stat. 12C-5 (2026).

Text

(was 720 ILCS 5/12-21.6) Sec. 12C-5. Endangering the life or health of a child.

(a)A person commits endangering the life or health of a child when he or she knowingly:

(1)causes or permits the life or health of a child under the age of 18 to be endangered; or (2) causes or permits a child to be placed in circumstances that endanger the child's life or health. It is not a violation of this Section for a person to relinquish a child in accordance with the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act.

(b)A trier of fact may infer that a child 6 years of age or younger is unattended if that child is left in a motor vehicle for more than 10 minutes.

(c)"Unattended" means either:

(i)not accompanied by a person 14 years of age or older; or (ii) if accompanied by a person 14 years of age or older,

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(was 720 ILCS 5/12-21.6) Sec. 12C-5. Endangering the life or health of a child. (a) A person commits endangering the life or health of a child when he or she knowingly: (1) causes or permits the life or health of a child under the age of 18 to be endangered; or (2) causes or permits a child to be placed in circumstances that endanger the child's life or health. It is not a violation of this Section for a person to relinquish a child in accordance with the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act. (b) A trier of fact may infer that a child 6 years of age or younger is unattended if that child is left in a motor vehicle for more than 10 minutes. (c) "Unattended" means either: (i) not accompanied by a person 14 years of age or older; or (ii) if accompanied by a person 14 years of age or older, out of sight of that person. (d) Sentence. A violation of this Section is a Class A misdemeanor. A second or subsequent violation of this Section is a Class 3 felony. A violation of this Section that is a proximate cause of the death of the child is a Class 3 felony for which a person, if sentenced to a term of imprisonment, shall be sentenced to a term of not less than 2 years and not more than 10 years. A parent, who is found to be in violation of this Section with respect to his or her child, may be sentenced to probation for this offense pursuant to Section 12C-15.