Justice Systems Processing of Child Abuse and Neglect Cases in a Local Jurisdiction (County) in the United States, 1993-1994

The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive,
 case-level examination of the full spectrum of case processing of
 serious child abuse and neglect cases as they flowed through the
 justice process, from initial receipt of a report to final disposition
 in the criminal and/or civil court. This was accomplished by in-depth,
 detailed tracking, from a single jurisdiction, of both prospective and
 retrospective samples of serious child abuse cases reported to child
 protective services and law enforcement agencies. The four agencies
 that participated directly by providing case samples and case files
 for tracking were: (1) Child Protective Services (CPS), (2) the
 sheriff's office, (3) Dependency Court Legal Services (DCLS), and (4)
 the county prosecutor's office. Each case was abstracted at the point
 of sampling and then tracked throughout the other participating
 agencies. Data were collected over a nine-month period. Part 1,
 Maltreatment Abstract, Person Roster, and CPS Abstract Data, contains
 three types of data. First, information is provided on each
 maltreatment incident committed by each perpetrator, background of the
 perpetrator and the victim, and characteristics of the incident. The
 data continue with a roster of persons, which covers the relationships
 among the individuals in the case and whether any of these individuals
 were living together at the time of the maltreatment. Data from the
 CPS abstract include which source brought the case to the attention of
 Protective Services, the dates, priority, and investigation level of
 the report, if any prior allegations of maltreatment had occurred that
 involved either the same victims and/or perpetrators and, if so,
 information on those reports, and the perpetrator's response to the
 incident and level of cooperation with the investigation. For each
 victim, information is given on medical findings, if applicable,
 whether photographs were taken, whether a guardian was appointed,
 whether the victim was assigned an interim placement, and the CPS
 disposition of the case. Part 1 concludes with information on
 interviews with the victim, where the case was referred, the
 assessment of risk in the case, and whether the victim was placed in
 foster care. Part 2, Dependency Court Abstract Data, provides
 information on the case, the reason the case was closed, and the
 outcome as determined by the court. Part 3, Juvenile Court Schedule of
 Hearings Data, focuses on the schedule of hearings, such as who was
 present and if they were represented by an attorney, whether the
 hearing took place, and, if not, the reason for delay. Part 4, Law
 Enforcement Abstract Data, contains dates of incidents, reports, and
 arrests, details of the case, and how the case was handled. Part 5,
 State Attorney's Office Abstract Data, offers data on the case
 closing, charges, and sentencing, as well as information on the type
 of defense attorney representing the perpetrator, if a juvenile, how
 the defendant was referred to adult court, whether the state attorney
 filed cases on other perpetrators in the case, whether the victim was
 interviewed by the prosecutor prior to filing, and whether the victim
 was deposed by the state attorney after the case was filed. Part 6,
 Criminal Court Schedule of Hearings Data, contains information on date
 of arrest, filing, and court hearing, whether a public defender was
 assigned, number of hearings, type of hearing, and coded remarks about
 the hearing. Part 7, State Attorney Addendum Data, provides
 "no-file" data from the State Attorney Questionnaire Addendum,
 including if the no-file was a warrant or arrest, date of the no-file,
and reason for the no-file.