Please Read! Very Disconcerting

PLEASE READ VERY CONCERNING!!!! Sixth Judicial District Attorney Michael Renteria met with Representative Jenifer Jones and I, and we had a lengthy and troubling discussion regarding our state’s child protection agency: CYFD. Mr. Renteria and his staff shared numerous issues they have encountered in cases involving CYFD, and what they had to say was disturbing. They shared CYFD’s efforts to undermine criminal child abuse prosecutions, placing children back into unsafe homes after law enforcement removed them, and trying to avoid taking children into CYFD custody despite seriously unsafe conditions at home. Of great concern is the apparent complacency of mid-level CYFD managers regarding child abuse cases. I am concerned about children being taken out of dangerous situations at home, only to be returned to that home by CYFD, sometimes within hours. The DA’s staff said they have made numerous attempts to have the issues resolved through CYFD’s internal procedures, but those efforts have been in vain. More conversations and meetings will be held as we continue to move forward working to improve child well-being in the State of New Mexico.