Juvenile Regional Services (JRS)
1820 St. Charles Avenue, Suite 205
New Orleans, LA 70130
Phone: (504) 207-4JRS (4577)
At Court: (504) 658-9586
Fax: (504) 267-4789
Email Us
Common Questions
- Who is my judge?
- When do I get a lawyer?
- Who is the District Attorney?
- What is a continued custody hearing?
- What is probable cause?
- What is a petition?
- What is an initial hearing?
- How long will my case take?
- What is a continuance?
- What is an adjudication hearing?
- What charges can send me to adult court?
- What will happen to me if the judge thinks that I'm guilty?
- How much time am I facing?
- What is a "Vitter" charge?
- What is a subpoena?
- What is house arrest?
- Where should bond be paid?
- Where are youth held while waiting to go to trial?
- Where are youth held if they are put into juvenile prison, or "secure custody"?
- Who is responsible for supervising probation and how can I get in touch with them?
- How do I pay fines and fees or restitution?
Who is my judge?
At Orleans Parish Juvenile Court there are four delinquency judges. Each judge is in charge of what is called a "section" of court. Your subpoenas for court and your petition will have a series of numbers followed by three letters. The first two letters are DQ and the third is your section of court
- Section B – Judge Tammy Stewart
- Section C – Judge Candice Bates Anderson
- Section E – Judge Tracey Flemings-Davillier
- Section F – Judge Mark Doherty
So if your judge is Judge Doherty your petition would end with DQ-F.
When do I get a lawyer?
The first time you come to court, the judge will decide whether or not you or your parents can afford a lawyer. If you can't afford a lawyer, the judge will appoint a lawyer to represent you for free. You have the right to have a lawyer with you every time you go to court.
Who is the District Attorney?
"District Attorney," "D.A.", and "prosecutor" are different names for the same person. In delinquency cases, it is the prosecutor's job to try and convince the judge that the accused youth did what the youth is accused of doing.
What is a continued custody hearing?
If you are taken to juvenile jail after you are arrested, you must be brought in front of a judge for a hearing within three days, not including weekends or holidays. At your hearing the judge will decide if there is "probable cause" to believe you did what the police are saying that you did. If there is no "probable cause," you will be released. If the judge decides that the is "probable cause," the judge needs to decide whether you should be released or whether you will remain in custody. You will have a lawyer at the hearing. That lawyer should talk with you before the hearing to find out about your case and to answer any questions that you have..
What is probable cause?
Probable cause means there is enough evidence that the police officer was reasonable in suspecting a crime had occurred or was occurring when he stopped and arrested you. This is more than just "a feeling" and much less than "beyond a reasonable doubt." It is not hard for the prosecutor to prove that there was probable cause for your arrest. But even if there is probable cause, it does not mean that you will definitely be adjudicated delinquent, and it certainly does not mean that you are guilty.
What is a petition?
The petition is an official document, signed by the prosecutor, that accuses you of committing a delinquent act. The prosecutor signs and files a petition at the beginning of every delinquency case in juvenile court. The petition means that the prosecutor believes you broke the law. The petition is not proof that you did anything wrong.
When looking at the petition, make sure the petition lists your correct address and phone number.
What is an initial hearing?
An initial hearing is when you answer the prosecutor's petition. That means this is when you come to court and say if you are guilty or not guilty - in other words, whether you deny or admit the charge against you. When you deny that you did what you are accused of doing, a trial date is set.
An initial hearing is sometimes called a "pre-trial hearing" or an "answer hearing."
How long will my case take?
If you are held in custody your "adjudication hearing" - another name for a trial - must begin within 30 days of your initial hearing. If you are not in custody your adjudication hearing must be held within 90 days of your pre-trial hearing. However, because both you and the prosecutor have the right to ask the judge for a continuance, sometimes your hearing will not begin within these time limits.
What is a continuance?
A continuance is when either you or the prosecutor asks the judge to postpone your hearing. The judge may also decide to set your hearing for a later date even if neither you nor the District Attorney asks for a continuance.
What is an adjudication hearing?
A "trial" and an "adjudication hearing" are the same thing. They both mean a hearing in court where the judge decides whether the prosecutor proved that you broke the law.
At the beginning of the hearing, the prosecutor will usually tell the judge what the prosecutor thinks happened with your case. Then, the prosecutor will try to prove that you did break the law. Your lawyer will be with you in court to defend you, and to tell the judge all the reasons why the judge should not believe that you did something wrong. At the end of the hearing, the judge will decide whether the prosecutor proved beyond a reasonable doubt that you did break the law.
What charges can send me to adult court?
The charges that can send a juvenile who is at least 15 years old from juvenile court to the adult criminal justice system include:
- First Degree Murder
- Second Degree Murder
- Aggravated Rape
- Aggravated Kidnapping
- Attempted First Degree Murder
- Attempted Second Degree Murder
- Manslaughter
- Armed Robbery
- Aggravated Burglary
- Forcible Rape
- Simple Rape
- Second Degree Kidnapping
- Aggravated Battery Committed with a Firearm
What will happen to me if the judge thinks that I'm guilty?
If, at the end of the hearing, the judge decides that you did break the law, the judge has to make another decision - what your "disposition" will be.
A disposition is like a sentence - it is what happens to you after a judge decides that you broke the law. It can be anything from getting a stern warning to spending time in juvenile prison.
Many times, youth are not put in juvenile prison but are instead placed on probation. A young person who is on probation can most often go on living in his or her own house, going to school, and seeing friends. But being on probation means being supervised by a judge and a probation officer - a law enforcement agent who works for the state's Office of Juvenile Justice. The judge will often give you orders about what you have to do on probation, like stay out of trouble and go to school. If you do what the judge tells you, then you can succeed on probation. If you don't, the judge can make your disposition more difficult, and might even be able to put you in juvenile prison.
How much time am I facing?
How much time you are facing depends on the charge. Regardless of the charge, no one in the juvenile justice system in Louisiana can be held past his or her 21st birthday. A youth who is younger than 13 at the time of an offense cannot be held past his or her 18th birthday.
What is a "Vitter" charge?
As a general rule, if a youth who is at least fourteen years old is found guilty in juvenile court of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, aggravated rape or aggravated kidnapping, the youth will spend every day in secure custody until his or her 21st birthday.
If a youth who is at least fourteen is found guilty of armed robbery, he or she must serve the time received at the disposition. There is no getting out early on parole.
What is a subpoena?
A subpoena is an order for you to come to court at a specific day and time. Failing to come to court on the date and time listed in your subpoena could result in a warrant for your arrest.
What is house arrest?
House arrest usually means that a person can only leave his or her home for reasons that the court gives. This means that you cannot go to the store or sit on your neighbor's porch. If you are on house arrest you must stay inside your house at all times unless the judge has given you permission to leave.
Where should bond be paid?
Bond can be paid the Clerk of Court at Orleans Parish Juvenile Court. The Clerk's office is located on the 2nd floor of 421 Loyola Avenue.
Where are youth held while waiting to go to trial?
Young people who are held in custody pretrial will be at the Youth Study Center (YSC). The YSC is located at:
1100 Milton Street
New Orleans, LA 70122
(504) 658-3400
Where are youth held if they are put into juvenile prison, or "secure custody"?
"Secure care," "secure custody" and "juvenile prison" are different terms for the same thing - a secure facility run by the Office of Juvenile Justice. The Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ) operates three secure care facilities for boys:
Bridge City Center for Youth
3225 River Road
Bridge City, LA 70094
(504) 436-4253
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 9098
Bridge City, LA 70094
Jetson Center for Youth
Highway 61
Baker, LA 70714
(225) 778-9000
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 97527
Baton Rouge, LA 70874-7527
Swanson Center for Youth
4701 S. Grand Street
Monroe, LA 71202
(318) 362-5000
Girls who are placed in secure care will be send to the Ware Youth Center:
Ware Youth Center
3563 US Highway 71
Coushatta, LA 71010
(318) 932-4411
Mailing Address:
Route 1, Box 6000
Coushatta, LA 71019
Who is responsible for supervising probation and how can I get in touch with them?
The Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ) is responsible for supervising juvenile probation. Their New Orleans office's contact information is:
731 St. Charles Avenue 2nd Floor
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 568-4535
How do I pay fines and fees or restitution?
Payments of court ordered fees or restitution can be made in clerk's office located on the 2nd floor of Orleans Parish Juvenile Court. There are certain fees that are charges on delinquency cases which the court expects the child or parent to pay.
In most cases the court is willing to set up a payment plan if you do not have the ability to pay all fines, fees or restitution at once. If you do not, you should talk to a lawyer to find out what your choices are.
In the event you are not able to make a payment and are scheduled to appear it court, it is very important that you do not miss your court date. Failure to appear is a punishable offense. It is far better to appear in court and explain to the judge when you expect to make your next payment.
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