Criminal cases

TalkingParents isn’t just for high or low-conflict cases. Our service is also useful as a condition of pretrial release or probation for criminal cases involving parents. When a parent is arrested on criminal domestic violence charges, they are often ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim as a condition of their pretrial release. This situation can become complicated and frustrating when the defendant and victim share a child and the issue is often passed to Pretrial Services without any obvious solutions or instructions. The same issue often comes up again when the defendant is sentenced to probation with a no-contact order as a condition of probation. In both cases, TalkingParents is an ideal solution. These criminal cases can lead to restraining orders or high-conflict actions as well, which can also incorporate the use of TalkingParents.

Things to keep in mind

• The court should inquire as to the defendant’s internet access. Most people have access to a smartphone with a data plan, but if the defendant’s access to the internet is more limited, then the court should take that into account when ordering the use of TalkingParents. For example, the court may only require the defendant to check their TalkingParents account once per day when wi-fi is available, or even once per week if they must utilize a computer at the public library.
• The defendant does not need to know the alleged victim’s phone number, email address, physical location, or any other contact information to communicate through TalkingParents. Our system can match parents together using only their names and the first name and birthdate of their oldest child in common. As a result, the victim can change their contact information and/or block the defendant across all accounts and services but still have a safe way to communicate with the defendant regarding their child(ren).
• The court may want to include language that allows the use of TalkingParents to be modified by any future court order not related to the criminal case. For example, a different court may later want to order the use of TalkingParents pursuant to a restraining order or other civil case like a divorce, paternity action, or child custody modification. The court in that new case may want to set additional or different requirements for the use of TalkingParents, and this language can negate the need to file a modification to the order in the criminal case.

Example motions and orders

Use of TalkingParents can be requested through a free-standing motion, or you may incorporate it into any number of other motions. Use of our service can also be incorporated into any agreement between the parties to be ratified by court order. Remember, you can adjust our example motion and order language as needed.