Juvenile

Our Juvenile Delinquency division handles the prosecution of all the juvenile crimes in our parish, as well as the Families in Need of services matters. Due to the age of the offenders, many of these types of cases can initially be handled through the intake department of the Parish Juvenile Court by an Assistant District Attorney. Once again, attempts at rehabilitation are generally made, through the Parish Juvenile Justice Services Office, by placing the offender on supervised probation with conditions. If these attempts are not successful, or if the initial crime is of a heinous nature, then the juvenile offender can be sent to the State Department of Corrections for Juveniles. It is also possible that juveniles who are 14 - 16 years old, who commit very serious crimes, can be transferred to the Adult Criminal Court for prosecution.

Our Juvenile Need of Care division handles the child abuse and neglect cases in a concentrated effort to protect children from on-going abuse and neglect, working with the State Office of Community Services. These cases are handled in Juvenile Court, although in more serious cases criminal charges can also be filed against the parent or guardian who perpetrated the abuse. If it is felt that the family can be rehabilitated while leaving the abused or neglected child in the home, then strict measures can be taken to assure that the child is protected in the home setting. If there is a serious threat that the child could be abused again, the child is removed from the home and placed with relatives or in foster care, while the rehabilitation process takes place. If rehabilitation is successful, the child can be returned to the home; however, if rehabilitation does not occur, the child can be freed for adoption by terminating the parental rights of the abusive parent. We have two assistant district attorneys, two Investigators, and clerical personnel handling these two units in the two divisions of our District Court that hear family-related matters.