How will a drug charge affect my child custody arrangement?

Child custody battles are one of the most challenging aspects of divorce. Chances are you worked hard to ensure that you are able to see your children as often as possible. If you are now facing a drug charge, you may wonder whether it could have an impact on your current child custody arrangement.

In Florida, whether or not a drug arrest will affect a child custody agreement really depends on the circumstances of each case. The court always has to consider the best interest of the child, which may mean a change in an agreement if your drug charge could cause serious harm, or keeping it the same if changing the agreement would do even more harm than the charge itself.

Legal custody

Generally, a drug charge will not impact a parent’s legal custody. This refers to the parent’s ability to make medical or educational decisions for a child. However, it could result in the other parent filing for a change in legal custody if he or she thinks that you are a danger to your children.

Convictions

If you face charges for a drug crime, you may not have to deal with any changes to your child custody agreement. However, if you get convicted, the court will likely have more say in whether or not you can still maintain your current agreement. Even pending drug cases can look bad for those hoping to keep custody of their children.

A drug charge can impact many areas of your life – including your child custody arrangement. It is important to understand what your arrest could lead to, and to take every possible step to avoid a conviction. Working with a defense lawyer experienced in drug crimes can make all the difference in the outcome of your case. Depending on the circumstances of your case, they may even be able to convince the court to drop your charges altogether.