Division of Family & Children's Services

Mississippi Centralized Intake

1-800-222-8000 | (601) 432-4570
Reporting abuse, neglect and exploitation in the State of Mississippi
www.msabusehotline.com

Children's Justice Act - Task Force

The Children’s Justice Act (CJA) helps States to develop, establish, and perate programs designed to improve the investigation, prosecution, and judicial handling of child abuse and neglect cases (particularly child sexual abuse and exploitation) in a manner that limits additional trauma to the child victim. This also includes the handling of child fatality cases in which child abuse or neglect is suspected, and some cases of children with disabilities and serious health problems who also are victims of abuse and neglect.

During 2002, an average of 2,400 children was found to be victims of abuse and neglect each day. An estimated 2.6 million referrals of abuse or neglect, concerning nearly 4.5 million children, were received by Child Protective Service agencies. More than two-thirds of those referrals were accepted for investigation and treatment. Nationally, an estimated 88,704 children or 9.9 percent of child victims were sexually abused. An average of three children died every day as a result of abuse and neglect in 2002.

In Fiscal Year 2003, $17 million in CJA funds were available to the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands. Funding comes from the Crime Victim’s Fund, which collects fines and fees charged to persons convicted of Federal crimes. The fund is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Victims of Crime (OVC).

Typical CJA activities:

• Developing curricula and conducting training for personnel in law enforcement and child protective services, as well as health and mental health professionals, prosecutors and judges.
• Establishing or enhancing child advocacy centers and other multidisciplinary programs to serve victims and their families in order to minimize trauma.
• Establishing and supporting local and/or State child fatality review teams, including multidisciplinary training, team development and annual reporting.
• Supporting the enactment of laws to improve systems response, including allowing the admission of indirect testimony of children into evidence, making the courtroom setting less intimidating for children, increasing the penalties for sexual offenses against children, requiring mandatory sentencing, shortening the trial process and permitting victims to make statements prior to sentencing.

The Mississippi Children’s Justice Act was enacted by the Mississippi Legislature in 1997. Federal guidelines mandated that the State create a Children’s Justice Act Task Force composed of professionals with experience in child abuse case handling. In September 1999, the Mississippi Children’s Justice Act (CJA) grant funded the development of a statewide Multi-disciplinary Child Abuse Review Team Network. This project was in response to the need for the CJA grant in Mississippi to address, in a more systemic manner, the handling of child abuse cases in the state. The progressive establishment of a coordinated network of child abuse review teams, providing both a mechanism for improved multi-disciplinary cooperation and a means for ongoing specialized training and technical assistance, is the tangible vehicle through which this sought-after result is being achieved.

Contact Information

Mississippi Department of Human Services
Division of Family & Children's Services
Administration/Prevention Unit
1-800-345-6347 | (601) 359-4255