Children's Justice Act                                                                                                                                                                                                            Navs Texas Center for the Judiciary CJA Home

Promoting Justice and Healing

The Texas CJA program brings together child-protection and criminal justice experts to improve the state’s response to cases of child abuse and neglect.

Purpose

The Children’s Justice Act (CJA) is a federal grant awarded to each state to develop, establish, and operate programs designed to improve the child-protection system in four primary areas:

  1. The handling of child abuse and neglect cases, particularly cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation, in a manner which limits additional trauma to the child victim;
  2. The handling of cases of suspected child abuse of neglect related fatalities;
  3. The investigation and prosecution of cases of child abuse and neglect, particularly child sexual abuse and exploitation; and
  4. The handling of cases involving children with disabilities or serious health-related problems who are the victims of abuse of neglect.

Click here for more information on the purpose of CJA.

History

Children's Justice Act (CJA) is authorized as part of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), which is administered by the Children's Bureau within the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The CJA program, enacted as an amendment to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) in 1985, established a federal grant program to assist states in developing programs and procedures to improve their response to child abuse cases.

Click here for more information on the history of CJA.

Task Force

As a requirement of the federal grant, Texas maintains a multidisciplinary Task Force on children’s justice to oversee program activities. The Task Force is composed of professionals with knowledge of and experience with the child-protection and criminal justice systems.

Click here for more information on the CJA Task Force.

Recommendations

Every three years, the Task Force conducts a comprehensive review and evaluation of law, policy and the handling of cases of child abuse and neglect cases and makes policy and training recommendations for systemic improvements.

Click here to view the most recent Task Force recommendations.

Most Recent Grant Information

Each year the Task Force awards grants to eligible organizations consistent with its recommendations. During the 2009 fiscal year, the Task Force awarded $1,172,828 in grants and scholarships. Currently, the Task Force has obligated $1,179,479 in grants and scholarships for the 2009-2010 grant year.

Click here to view a list of CJA grants awarded.

Contact Information

The Texas Center for the Judiciary is located at:
The Texas Association of Counties Building
1210 San Antonio Street, Suite 800
Austin, TX 78701
512-482-8986
Click here to contact CJA staff by email.