Will an assault record prevent a person from being able to adopt?

Question

I know of this couple who already have older children but are wanting to adopt a middle aged child between the ages of 5- 12 years from foster homes but the husband has an assault record with 2 charges of simple assault from like 10 years ago. Both are misdemeanor charges. Is this going to prevent them from being able to adopt?

Answer 1

No it wouldn't but it would every know that you are a crimnal!

Answer 2

Probably not if the charges are from at least 10 years ago. It depends on the circumstances.

Answer 3

It depends on if he ever assaulted a child.  If he just got into a few scrapes I doubt whether it would affect the adoption but nowadays you really never know until you go through the process.

Answer 4

You should ask this question on..

www.adoption.com

I've seen it there before but can't remember the answer.

Answer 5

this will probably not keep them from adopting a child but they will have to work very hard to work around it depending on what the the charges were for.

Answer 6

Totally depends on the state he lives in as each state has its own Child Protective Services agency.  In many states, he could not adopt.

More importantly, do we really want this guy to adopt a child who has been likely abused?  This child will be a sitting duck.  This child will push every button known to mankind, and will have lots of really tough issues to work on.  How good is this guy gonna be at being patient above and beyond the normal person, when he cannot even keep from assaulting someone?

If this were my homestudy, without knowing too much more, I'd have to say no.

There are always exceptions, but it is pretty hard to come up with a valid one when he hits people, and this child could be his next victim.

Answer 7

Most criminal records seraches drop misdemeanors older than seven years.  There is some accommodation for people that have learned a lesson.

Answer 8

Every state has a list of criminal offenses that bar people from adopting, most are related to weapons, drugs, or crimes involving children.  If the husband's charges are on the list, he can file a rehabilitation review.  If the charges are not on the list, during the home study he will have to explain the circumstances of the assaults and talk about what he has learned from the consequences.  Also, he should be up front about his record rather than having his social worker discover it.  Lying on his application WILL prevent him from being able to adopt.

Answer 9

god I hope so.

Answer 10

It could.  i know that where I live something like this on your record would prevent an adoption.  This couple, however, would need to check with their state to find out the requirements.  They should just be upfront from the beginning & find out if it will affect the outcome.