Complaint to the Bureau of Children's Justice

BCJ identifies leads based on analyses of information from a variety of sources including: individual complaint, patterns of complaints, academic research, news reports, public and non-public data. BCJ carefully considers each lead and may initiate an investigation involving witness interviews, subpoenas, and consultation with experts. BCJ may work with the subject of the investigation to resolve concerns without any legal action or we may pursue civil judgments or criminal penalties. Sometimes, BCJ may resolve a matter within months. Often, investigation and litigation may take years. BCJ investigations are confidential and we cannot share non-public information or provide updates.

BCJ does not investigate isolated legal violations, matters against state-level public entities, or out-of-state conduct. For individual matters, please submit a complaint with California’s Civil Rights Department (formerly California Department of Fair Employment and Housing) here.

BCJ cannot represent individuals or provide legal advice. In other words, if you submit a tip or complaint, BCJ cannot serve as your attorney—BCJ serves as the attorney for the People of California as a whole. BCJ may follow up to request further information. However, BCJ cannot provide ongoing updates about the status of the investigation or litigation.

Anyone can file a tip or complaint, and it does not need to include legal analysis. Instead, the tip or complaint should include as much detail as possible about the facts of the matter. All inquiries will be kept confidential. Please describe the potentially unlawful activity, the identity of the entity that is engaged in this activity, and contact information for an attorney to follow up.

The mission of the Bureau of Children’s Justice (BCJ) is to protect the rights of children. The BCJ is focused on enforcement in several areas, including:

  • California’s foster care, adoption, and juvenile justice systems
  • Discrimination and inequities in education
  • California’s elementary school truancy crisis
  • Human trafficking of vulnerable youth
  • Childhood trauma and exposure to violence

For more information, please visit: https://oag.ca.gov/bcj

For more information about the types of cases that the BCJ is empowered to pursue, please visit: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Please note: The Attorney General cannot answer legal questions, give legal advice to individuals, or intervene in individual cases. In certain circumstances, the Attorney General may need to refer your complaint to a more appropriate agency.

The Bureau of Children's of Justice encourages Californians to submit complaints or tips related to the rights of children via our online contact form. If you would prefer to submit the complaint anonymously, fill out the BCJ anonymous form. Please note that it is more challenging for the Attorney General to look into anonymous complaints.

The Attorney General cannot answer legal questions, give legal advice to individuals, or intervene in individual cases. In certain circumstances, the Attorney General may need to refer your complaint to a more appropriate agency.