Utah Children's Justice CenterThe Utah Children's Justice Center (CJC) is a program of the Utah Attorney General's Office to coordinate investigation and prosecution of child abuse, especially child sexual abuse. There are 22 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 (LDS Church) to assist their 26 centers throughout the state.[1] ServicesIn 2018, the Utah Attorney General described the CJC as:
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.[3] The children's justice center provides many secondary services. These include:[3]
LocationsUtah 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.[4]
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