A person’s past mistakes can continue to haunt them even after they have paid for their poor decisions. For example, criminal convictions often interfere with your efforts to find a good job or housing.
A prior criminal history may also impact your child custody rights. If you are concerned that your past could cost you access to your kids, you need more information.
Can any conviction interfere with custody?
Most criminal convictions do not play a role in child-related family court decisions. If you have a couple of DUI convictions buried in your past, they are unlikely to impact the judge’s child custody decisions. Courts understand that what happened in the past should remain there for the most part.
Still, some convictions raise a red flag for family courts. Those involving violence (especially towards children) cause judges to make child safety a top priority. Convictions on charges like these may affect your final child custody arrangements:
- Child abuse
- Murder or homicide
- Sexual abuse or assault
- Domestic violence or abuse
These are just a few examples for you to consider. Judges look at anything that may compromise your child’s best interests, including alcohol and drug abuse issues.
Fortunately, courts also examine related factors, such as when the convictions occurred. If they happened long ago and you have not been in trouble since, the judge might be sympathetic to your situation. However, the nature of past convictions could remain a factor in Texas child conservatorship (custody) decisions regardless of when they occurred.
Learn more about your custody rights
Those worried about losing access to their kids because of past convictions benefit from legal guidance. With help, you have good odds of presenting your case to the court in a way that protects your child custody rights.
