Body
Child maltreatment rates in New Mexico are among the highest in the nation. (Approximately 15 in every 1000 children under the age of 18 have been victims of abuse) With these numbers in mind, my office is initiating the first Annual Southwest Crimes Against Children Conference in New Mexico. The guiding principle in my office and work continues to be “victim’s first”. With a good portion of my career being devoted to specializing in crimes against children, a conference initiative such as this is embedded in the fabric of our organizational purpose. In the fiscal year of 2022 approximately 11% of the cases in my district were Felony Child Abuse. Extrapolate those numbers across the entire state and it’s clear that action must be taken. Unfortunately, we receive cases when the crimes have already been committed so we can’t stop the abuse. But we can work collaboratively with our judicial partners in order that the outcome of each case is fair, just, and right. We feel that through a coordinated approach to each case we can ensure that more abuse is not inflicted on children through the judicial process.