§588-1 Children's justice program; establishment, purpose.
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§588-1 Children's justice program; establishment, purpose.
(a)There is established a children's justice program within the judiciary. The mission of the program is to provide for the special needs of children as witnesses by promoting coordination for appropriate investigation, treatment, and legal processes, thereby reducing and preventing unnecessary trauma to children and ensuring justice for children and their families.
(b)The purposes of the program shall be to:
(1)Develop, achieve, and maintain interagency and interprofessional cooperation and coordination in the investigation of and management of cases involving suspected or confirmed:
(A)Victims of child sex abuse, serious physical child abuse, child sex trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation of children, and other child maltreatment; and
(B)Child witnesses to crime or violence;
(2)Facilitate in an impartial manner the professional gathering of information by public and private agencies and their providers for court proceedings involving child victims and witnesses;
(3)Reduce to the absolute minimum the number of interviews of child victims and witnesses so as to minimize revictimization of the child;
(4)Coordinate the therapeutic and treatment program for child victims and witnesses and their families;
(5)Provide for a multidisciplinary team and case management approach that focuses on the needs of, first, the child victim or witness; second, family members who are supportive of the child and whose interests are consistent with the best interests of the child; and third, law enforcement and prosecuting agencies;
(6)Provide for the training and continuing education of skilled professional interviewers of child victims and witnesses; and
(7)Serve as the focus of information and referral for child victim and witness programs. [L 1986, c 169, pt of §1; am L 2001, c 219, §3; am L 2022, c 17, §1]