Child neglect cases are some of the saddest reported on the evening news. While the laws vary from state to state, a criminal neglect felony charge covers a wide range of acts including: Leaving a young child unattended in a car or at home; Failing to get proper medical care for a child. If this leads to the child’s death, the child neglect felony can be upgraded to murder or manslaughter; Failing to feed a child properly; Reckless endangerment of a child’s life that can include driving drunk with a child in the car. Child neglect felony cases can result in a wide range of penalties if someone is convicted. In some states, first time offenders get probation. In severe cases, offenders have been sentenced to up to 50 years in prison. Unfortunately, many times the parents of the child are the ones accused of neglect. The children are placed in foster homes and if convicted, the parents could lose their parental rights.