Opinion ID: 891582
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Child Abuse and Neglect

Text: {12} Given the special recognition of the needs of children and their inability to protect themselves, our Legislature has adopted a framework of both criminal and civil laws to address child abuse. State v. Graham, 2005-NMSC-004, ¶ 9, 137 N.M. 197, 109 P.3d 285. Recognizing the wide variety of ways that a child can be harmed by abuse and neglect, our Legislature has empowered the State with a broad array of civil remedies, ranging from the benign, like ensuring that children receive nutritious meals, to the intrusive, such as placement of children in foster care or termination of parental rights altogether. See NMSA 1978, § 32A-4-22(B) (2005). On the far end of this spectrum lies the sanction for criminal child abuse, which classifies abuse as, at a minimum, a third-degree felony punishable by up to three years imprisonment. NMSA 1978, § 30-6-1(D)-(E) (2005). As a practical matter, criminal convictions for child abuse may also lead to the loss of parental rights over those children. {13} On the civil side, the Legislature has enabled the State to act preemptively to protect children based upon perceived future harm. Shawna C., 2005-NMCA-066, ¶ 26, 137 N.M. 687, 114 P.3d 367. The civil process addresses situations in which the child  has suffered or who is at risk of suffering serious harm because of the action or inaction of the child's parent, guardian or custodian. NMSA 1978, § 32A-4-2(B)(1) (1999) (emphasis added). Our Court of Appeals recently stated that when evaluating abuse and neglect cases, we emphasize that the focus should be on the acts or omissions of the parents in their caretaking function and not on apparent shortcomings of a given parent due to his or her unfavorable status. While no child would ask to have a poor, incarcerated, or addicted parent, poverty, incarceration, or addiction alone do not perforce equate to neglect as set out in the [civil] statute. Shawna C., 2005-NMCA-066, ¶ 30, 137 N.M. 687, 114 P.3d 367. {14} When parental conduct or the home environment places a child at risk, the State can use its civil powers to remove the danger to the child, either by allowing the child to remain with the parents subject to their compliance with court-ordered conditions, by removing the child from the home, or by transferring legal custody to another. See § 32A-4-22(B). Importantly, this process contemplates that parents will be afforded advance notice and an opportunity to comply with a treatment plan before the State proceeds to more drastic remedies. See § 32A-4-22(C). Parents will have a reasonable opportunity to improve their parenting skills, with the ultimate goal being to preserve and reunify the family.