The Utah Children's Justice Center (CJC) is a program of the
Utah
Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
Attorney General's Office
The Attorney General's Office (AGO) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It supports the Attorney General and their deputy, the Solicitor General (together, the Law officers of the Crown in England and Wales). It ...
to coordinate investigation and prosecution of
child abuse
Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical abuse, physical, child sexual abuse, sexual, emotional and/or psychological abuse, psychological maltreatment or Child neglect, neglect of a child, especially by a p ...
, especially
child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...
. There are 26 CJC's in the state of Utah. They were created to provide a child friendly environment for interviews and exams of child victims as well as to provide support and centralized resource referrals to victim's families. In 2021,
Joy D. Jones presented a $300,000 gift from
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
(LDS Church) to assist their 26 centers throughout the state.
Services
In 2018, the Utah Attorney General described the CJC as:
a child-focused, facility-based program in which representatives from law enforcement, child protection, prosecution, mental health, medical services, and victim advocacy work together to conduct interviews and make team decisions about investigation, prosecution, and treatment of child abuse cases. In an average year, Utah’s CJCs conduct 4,500 interviews, handle 5,500 cases, and serve as many as 15,000 people.
Prior to the creation of the Utah CJC, investigation of child abuse may have required a child victim to be interviewed by police, social services, medical personnel, psychologists and prosecutors. At the CJC, as Utah County's website explained in 2002, the interviews can be completed in a home-like setting by law enforcement or social service investigators. The purpose of the CJC is to provide a facility where children can feel more comfortable and receive coordinated services as part of the investigative process. Interviews are recorded for use in agency investigations.
The children's justice center provides many secondary services. These include:
*
Medical
Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...
forensic
Forensic science combines principles of law and science to investigate criminal activity. Through crime scene investigations and laboratory analysis, forensic scientists are able to link suspects to evidence. An example is determining the time and ...
exams on-site at some centers
*Tracking and monitoring of cases through the
criminal justice system
Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...
*Collaboration of resources among agencies involved in the investigation
*Community education presentations
*Referrals for mental health and other services
Locations
Utah has 26 justice centers where child victims can be interviewed in a safe child-friendly environment. The centers help coordinate investigation and prosecution of child sex abuse cases. They also provide referral services to victims' families.
[Utah Code § 67-5b-101-107(2003)]
*Cache County CJC
*Salt Lake South Valley CJC
*Carbon County CJC
*Tooele County CJC
*Davis County CJC
*Uintah/Daggett County CJC
*Duchesne County CJC
*Utah County CJC
*Emery County CJC
*Summit County CJC
*Grand County CJC
*Washington County CJC
*Iron County CJC
*Weber/Morgan County CJC
*Salt Lake Avenues CJC
*Box Elder County CJC
*San Juan County CJC
*Sanpete County CJC
*Sevier County CJC
*Wasatch County CJC
*Kane County CJC
*Beaver County CJC
Notes
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External links
Children's Justice Centers at AttorneyGeneral.Utah.gov
Iron County Children's Justice CenterUtah County Children's Justice CenterWeber/Morgan Counties Children's Justice Center
Child abuse-related organizations
Criminal investigation
Organizations based in Utah
Public services