Child Witnesses to Domestic Violence - Maryland
Date: January 2021
Circumstances That Constitute Witnessing
Citation: Crim. Law § 3-601.1
In criminal law: A person may not commit a crime of violence, as defined in § 5-101 of the Public Safety Article (which includes an act of domestically related crime, as defined in § 6-233 of the Criminal Procedure Article) when the person knows or reasonably should know that a minor who is at least age 2 is present in a residence.
For the purposes of this section, a minor is present if the minor is within sight or hearing of the crime of violence.
Consequences
Citation: Crim. Law § 3-601.1
A person who violates this section is subject to imprisonment not exceeding 5 years in addition to any other sentence imposed for the crime of violence.