JUVENILE DIVISION

The Juvenile Division of our office handles three basic categories of complaints. All involve persons under the age of 18 years. The three categories are delinquency, children in need of care, and families in need of services.

Delinquency involves the prosecution of juveniles for criminal acts ranging from traffic citations to misdemeanors and felonies. Initial investigation of juvenile crimes is done by local law enforcement, but is ultimately referred to the District Attorney’s Office for a determination of whether to institute prosecution. If prosecution is instituted, the juvenile is brought to court to admit or deny his guilt. A juvenile found guilty, whether by admission or trial, is adjudicated a child in need of supervision. The sentencing judge can sentence a minor to a term of probation or to “juvenile life”, which is to the juvenile’s 21st birthday, in a secure or non-secure facility.

The second category of matters handled in the Juvenile Division involves children in need of care. This involves investigation of acts of abuse or neglect on the part of parents or guardians toward their minor children. Upon a referral for investigation, the acts are investigated by the Department of Social Services and submitted to the District Attorney’s Office for a determination of whether to petition the matter before the judge for review. If the matter is petitioned for review, the judge can order the parents to work with the Office of Family Services, or in extreme cases, can order that the children be removed from the parents and places in a foster home. All children who are removed and placed in foster homes are brought back to court by the District Attorney’s Office every six months to one year for review.

The third category, Families in Need of Services (FINS), are cases referred to the District Attorney’s Office by the FINS program coordinator for petition and court hearings in regard to minor children. These cases involve truant children, ungovernable children, runaway children, and criminal acts committed by children under 10 years of age. These children and/or their families are brought to court in an effort to have the families and children under court supervision to prevent further involvement in the criminal court system. The children are sometimes given a term of probation or detention in a non-secure facility.

The Juvenile Division is handled in Richland and Franklin Parishes by Joe Bruyninckx and in West Carroll Parish by John M. Lancaster. See the Contact Us section of this web site for information on how to contact these Assistant District Attorneys.