Can a person with a criminal record adopt a child?

Adoption is a lengthy and expensive process. It has its ups and downs, and just a simple mistake can get someone disqualified. As outlined in the Washington Times, the Ohio adoption law is ever-changing, and rules that applied in the past five years may not work with the current system.

It is essential to understand that a criminal record does not warrant an automatic disqualification of an adoption application. Contrary to popular belief, a person with a past conviction can still win an adoption case. There are several things that the adoption officials will put into consideration regarding the past of the parent.

One of the things that adoption officials will look at when they find any traces of criminal records on the person intending to adopt is the nature of the charge. They will also establish whether the crime took place in the country from which one wants to adopt.

The applicant will not get the adoption granted if they have past convictions of felony crimes against children, child abuse, spouse abuse, child tracking and pornography, assault, child negligence, etc.

Child Welfare Indicates that background checks before adoption are a must for anyone wishing to adopt. If the applicant has past convictions of drug-related charges, assault, and battery in less than five years, the officials will deny them child adoption.

An applicant may also get their criminal record expunged. It takes into account an arrest, but the suspect did not get any crime records filed. Another case is when the person had criminal records filed, but the case dropped because of a lack of a probable cause or mistaken identity.