For children who are the victims of abuse or have witnessed a violent crime, entering the justice system can be a traumatic event in itself.

The support services available at such a crucial time can make a big difference in the future success of a child's life, and in some cases whether or not justice is being served.

Eleven-year-old Demitrius Cotton testified against the man accused of murdering his mother Wednesday. He was just five-years-old at the time of the incident.

Last year, over 1,500 children went through the legal system in abuse or violence related cases in Travis County.

The Center for Child Protection is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping children like Demitirius handle hard memories that are brought up in the court room.

Amanda Von Hoozer is the Director of Program Services for the center. She says helping children and their families navigate the court system helps them feel more at ease.

"Just because they're a child doesn't mean they won't be asked to testify. So you have to make sure they are in an emotional place where they can do it, provide the supportive systems that they may need whether it's a family member or a friend," Von Hoozer said.

The center offers a service designed to prepare children for taking the stand.

"It's just to orient them to the process so that they know how it's different from one of the afternoon TV court shows or what they may see on TV," Von Hoozer said.

Additionally, the center performs forensic interviews so a child can avoid being interviewed multiple times by different agencies.

For children without a family or in between homes, organizations like Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, work with the court system as advocates on their behalf.

Laura Wolf is the Executive Director at CASA.

"We really gain information from a whole variety of sources in addition to the child about what are the needs and what are the recommendations that we should make to the judge about where should this child end up," Wolf said.

In 2009, 739 children were given forensic interviews by the Center for Child Protection. Eighty-nine percent of them were under the age of 12.