Former prosecutor turned energy champion known for child advocacy work

Randy Burton, currently a partner at Burleson Cooke LLP, has practiced commercial litigation for more than 24 years, with a primary focus in the oil and gas industry. He is a former prosecutor, and the founder of the national child advocacy organization, Justice for Children. In addition to his efforts fighting for the oil and gas industry, he has attained national recognition for his child advocacy work.

According to the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, three million new reports of child abuse or neglect are made every year. One million of these reports were confirmed by Children’s Protective Services (CPS). Yet, in 72% of confirmed cases of abuse and neglect, no protective services were ever provided. Of those cases reported, an estimated 1,300 children died of abuse or neglect. And, not surprisingly, 40% to 50% of the children who died had been previously reported to CPS for being in danger.

Burton’s first encounter with family preservation was at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office when he was a young prosecutor. There he witnessed the result of children left with abusive parents as part of CPS’s plan for the family. Besides the intimidation that oftentimes led to children’s refusal to testify, he learned about their re-abuse, and, occasionally, their death. He decided to do something about it. “Many cases never got the attention they deserved,” he said.

Burton collected evidence of the effects of this policy for over a year and submitted a report of his findings to the District Attorney, Johnny Holmes, in 1986. One particular case was that of little Jesse Wheeler.

In 1987, a 2-year-old Jesse was ordered removed from a loving foster family. The youngest of the five Wheeler children in foster care, he alone was returned to his biological mother in accordance with the family preservation policy of CPS, despite knowledge that his mother had started living with a man indicted for the rape of a 4-year-old child. Shortly after his return to his biological mother, a CPS caseworker observed bruises and black eyes on Jesse, but the police were not contacted. A few days later, Jesse died at a hospital with his foster parents by his side. It was later confirmed that Jesse’s stepfather had swung his head into a wall. The subsequent autopsy also revealed evidence of sexual assault.

His death touched off a firestorm of adverse publicity for CPS and led to the formation of Justice for Children in May 1987.

Since its founding, Justice for Children has grown to a nationwide, nonprofit organization with offices in Houston, Washington, DC, and, Detroit, Michigan. A tight, average yearly budget of $1 million split between the three offices affords the organization just a handful of full-time employees. Much of the work done at JFC is performed by volunteer attorneys and interns from various universities and law schools.

It is the mission of Justice for Children to prevent the known victims of child abuse from suffering further abuse. Today, the child advocacy work is accomplished on a number of different levels: JFC provides information to the community and elected leaders; provides advocacy and support for individual abused children; and recommends solutions for the challenges facing these children.

Last year alone, Justice for Children received over 6,000 requests for help. JFC services help remove obstacles to child protection and aim to prosecute their offenders. The volunteers build a case file for each child and work closely with CPS caseworkers, police, prosecutors, and the court system.

The organization also makes referrals to attorneys for pro-bono or low-cost legal representation, to physicians specializing in the diagnosis of sexual and physical abuse of children, and to trained therapists who assist in the emotional recovery of children and who help prepare the child for possible court testimony. Volunteer lawyers provide amicus briefs, legal research, document analysis, and other litigation support.

While Burton is proud of all the work Justice for Children has done, he isn’t completely satisfied. His hope for the future is that the organization can continue to grow until there is a local office in every state. He knows having more offices will make an even bigger impact. More local offices mean more local relationships, and ultimately, more lives saved.