Children’s Justice Center reports higher caseloads, conference travel and grant uncertainty amid VOCA freeze

The Children’s Justice Center (CJC) and county victim‑service staff told the Iron County Commission that child‑abuse and related caseloads rose in 2024 and have remained elevated in early 2025, and they flagged short‑term needs tied to grant timing.

Wendy (identified in the meeting as CJC staff) reported that the center closed 244 new cases in 2024 and performed 226 forensic interviews that year. The center logged 62 medical exams and served 279 secondary victims (family members and other affected persons). Age breakdowns Wendy cited: roughly 50 victims under 7; 72 aged 7–12; and 122 aged 13–18. She said the pattern of offenders continues to show most perpetrators are known to victims, not strangers, and that types of cases included sexual abuse, physical abuse/neglect, domestic‑family violence, drug endangerment…