Coming up with an acceptable child custody schedule can be an incredible challenge for San Joaquin County parents. With so many factors to consider, including the best interests of the child subject to the schedule, it is inevitable that in many custody situations, both parents will have to make concessions. When a parent refuses to accommodate the needs of others or otherwise ignores the mandates of a child custody order or agreement, legal remedies exist that can compel compliance.
However, during intense custody disputes, parents can sometimes take extreme measures that put their custody rights and their children’s safety at risk. One of these extreme actions is abduction. Abduction is a real family law problem and occurs when a parent effectively kidnaps his or her own child.
When a parent takes custody of his child outside of an established order or agreement, he may be pursued on kidnapping charges. Law enforcement agencies, such as local police departments, as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, can get involved if a case of parental abduction is suspected. When dealing with a case of international abduction, additional agencies may become involved in the search.
Parental abduction is illegal. Parents who kidnap their children can face criminal charges and lose their rights to custody of their kids. For these very serious reasons, it can be beneficial for parents to discuss all of their custody-related concerns during the agreement process in order to curtail the types of disputes that may lead to extreme actions.
California families can renegotiate their child custody orders and agreements after they are initially established. Different conditions apply to the time frames for when such renegotiations may occur; family law attorneys can advise their clients if they are eligible to rework their custody agreements. Periodically making adjustments to a child custody schedule can help parents accommodate their changing needs and prevent parents from taking rash actions that put their rights and their kids at risk.
