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Children’s Justice Center reports higher caseloads, conference travel and grant uncertainty amid VOCA freeze
Summary
The county Children’s Justice Center reported 226 forensic interviews in 2024, rising caseloads in early 2025, plans to send many staff to a national symposium and concern about federal VOCA grant freezes affecting future funding.
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 and some trafficking and kidnapping cases.
Wendy said the CJC is under budget mid‑fiscal‑year for state and VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) funds and is preparing grant applications due in March. She said VOCA‑eligible requests will include therapy and secondary‑victim supports; staff plan to expand therapy line items to include services for some secondary victims while remaining mindful of federal grant rules. The CJC will send a 12‑member team to the International Symposium on Child Abuse in Huntsville, Alabama (state and board support will cover registration, hotel and flights; CJC will pay per diem and car rental from its state funds). Wendy also described safety improvements underway at the new CJC building, including a security wall and a gated driveway to limit unsupervised park access.
County Attorney Chad briefed commissioners on prosecutorial staffing. Chad said the county’s caseload rose by about 400 cases in 2024 compared with prior years; he said nationwide prosecutor recruitment and retention are difficult and noted the county will backfill a prosecutor position in March. Chad also emphasized that the county’s single victim‑advocate carried a large caseload (Jessica Kramer handled 393 cases in 2024) and urged that the commission continue work on filling a part‑time support position to avoid burnout.
Sheriff’s victim‑services staff reported the sheriff’s office served 393 crime victims in the prior year, with domestic violence, adult and child assaults and stalking among leading categories. Sheriff‑service staff said January 2025 was unusually busy with critical incidents and increased use of limited emergency financial assistance; they plan to request a boost to emergency‑fund budgets in the next grant cycle. They also noted uncertainty tied to a federal VOCA grant freeze that could affect timing of payments after July even if current contracts remain funded.
Why it matters: the CJC and allied victim advocates serve a high‑need population and rely heavily on federal and state grant streams (VOCA, state victim‑service funds). The commission heard that staffing shortfalls and grant timing could affect continuity of services; staff asked commissioners to support the requested grant applications and the hiring measures already under consideration.
Ending: staff said they will return with budget details when grant awards are announced and will coordinate with the county attorney’s office on proposed part‑time hires and prosecutor backfills.
