Abandonment or Abuse of a Child
Section 30-6-1 — abuse that does not cause death or great bodily harm is a third degree felony on a first offense
Abuse of a child, a person under eighteen, is knowingly, intentionally or negligently, without justifiable cause, causing or permitting the child to be placed in a situation that may endanger their life or health, tortured, cruelly confined or cruelly punished, or exposed to the inclemency of the weather.
Who handles this in New Mexico: Enlace Comunitario; and legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the New Mexico directory.
| Abuse of a child | Level |
|---|---|
| Abuse of a childNot resulting in death or great bodily harm, first offense | LevelThird degree felony |
| Abuse of a childNot resulting in death or great bodily harm, second or later offense | LevelSecond degree felony |
| Abuse of a childResulting in great bodily harm | LevelFirst degree felony |
Abandonment is a parent, guardian or custodian intentionally leaving a child where the child may or does suffer neglect, a misdemeanor, or a second degree felony if it results in the child's death or great bodily harm. A parent who leaves an infant under ninety days old as the Safe Haven for Infants Act allows is not prosecuted for abandonment.
Sources for this section (1)
- NMSA 1978, § 30-6-1 — Abandonment or abuse of a child
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of November 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed New Mexico attorney.