Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73
§2258 Failure to report child abuse
Title 18 › Part PART I— - CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 110— - SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND OTHER ABUSE OF CHILDREN › § 2258
Summary
People in certain professional roles or other covered individuals on federal land or in federal facilities who learn facts that give reason to suspect a child was abused must report it promptly or face fines, jail up to 1 year, or both.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §2258
Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
A person who, while engaged in a professional capacity or activity described in subsection (b) of section 226 of the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 on Federal land or in a federally operated (or contracted) facility, or a covered individual as described in subsection (a)(2) of such section 226 who, learns of facts that give reason to suspect that a child has suffered an incident of child abuse, as defined in subsection (c) of that section, and fails to make a timely report as required by subsection (a) of that section, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 1 year or both.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
section 226 of the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990, referred to in text, is classified to section 20341 of Title 34, Crime Control and Law
Enforcement
. Codification Another section 2258 was renumbered section 2260 of this title.
Amendments
2018—Pub. L. 115–126 inserted “or a covered individual as described in subsection (a)(2) of such section 226 who,” after “facility,”. 2006—Pub. L. 109–248 substituted “fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 1 year or both” for “guilty of a Class B misdemeanor”.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 2258
Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73