Bill > H3390

This bill amends South Carolina's homicide by child abuse law to expand the definition of a child from under eleven years old to under eighteen years old. The law addresses situations where a person causes the death of a child while committing child abuse or neglect, or knowingly aids another person in doing so. Child abuse or neglect is defined broadly as any act that causes physical harm to a child, including inflicting physical injury, failing to provide adequate care (food, clothing, shelter, healthcare), or abandoning a child that results in death. The bill maintains the existing penalties, which include potential life imprisonment for causing a child's death under circumstances showing extreme indifference to human life, and a prison term of 10-20 years for aiding in child abuse that results in death. When sentencing, judges must consider aggravating circumstances like a pattern of child abuse, and are explicitly told that a child's crying does not constitute a mitigating circumstance. The law will take effect immediately upon the Governor's approval, significantly extending legal protections to children up to the age of 18.

Justice

https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=3390&session=126&summary=B