PROBATION/INTAKE SERVICES
The Probation Department is the “front
door” to the Juvenile Justice System. This department consists of the Intake,
Field, Traffic and Drug Court Divisions of the Office of Juvenile Justice
Services. This department utilizes a balanced approach in working with youth,
seeking to hold them accountable for their actions while protecting the
community and developing competency in the youth. Over 1500 referrals are made
to this department annually. Of these, approximately 500 are placed on Court
ordered supervision, while the rest are diverted through a variety of programs.
INTAKE
The Intake Officer is the investigative
agent within the juvenile probation system. This officer receives the initial
referral, meets with the juvenile and their family to investigate the totality
of the circumstances of the referral, staffs the case with the Assistant
District Attorney, then determines what course of action will be taken in the
referral.
The most common courses of
action are:
1.
Warn and Release
A
common use for minor charges, where there is no personal victim or restitution
owed.
2.
Unsupervised Probation
To place the juvenile
in a diversion program to include: The Shoplifters Accountability Program,
Community Service, CADET, Anger Management, Counseling or other programs, for a
period of six months and monitor their success without Court intervention. If
successful, there is no court referral. When the Intake Officer recognizes
potential problems due to a more serious crime or victim involvement, court
referral may be necessary.
3.
Formal Court Referral
If the charge is a
felony or serious or multiple misdemeanors, court action might be imposed.
Formal petitions are completed and signed by the Assistant District Attorney.
FIELD
The
Field Officer is the supervision arm of the Court. Following adjudication or
“conviction”, the offender is placed on supervision, with some restrictions
placed on the individual offender. Common restrictions are that the offender may
not commit any more crimes including traffic offenses, must attend school, must
remain drug free, must attend his probation visitations, and/or any special
condition. Special conditions can be Community Service, Shoplifting Program,
restitution, self-esteem building (CADET), psychological evaluations, in-house
counseling, and a list of others.
Each offender placed on supervised
probation is court ordered to pay a supervision fee to the court. This fee is
based on the parent’s income and can range from $1.00 to $100.00. Failure to
comply with the Conditions of Probation can lead to placement of the offender in
the Juvenile Detention Center, modifying the conditions to a stricter level of
probation, or possible commitment to the Louisiana Department of Corrections.
TRAFFIC
The
Traffic Department maintains all non-delinquent offenses related to Title 32 of
the Louisiana Criminal Code. The individual offender usually appears in night
traffic court before one of two juvenile judges or the magistrate. Fines and
court costs are imposed on most first time offenders, with Conditions of
Unsupervised Probation. Some serious or multiple offenders have their licenses
revoked by the judge.
DRUG COURT
The
Calcasieu Parish Juvenile Drug Court Treatment Program opened its doors in May
of 2000. The purpose of the Drug Court is to provide comprehensive early
intervention for court referred non-violent juvenile offenders who have an
identified problem with alcohol or other drugs. By combining intensive field
supervision, intensive counseling, weekly court appearances, and the utilization
of all available community links, the Juvenile Drug Court is the “wave of the
future” in dealing with juvenile offenders who have problems related to
substance abuse.
Referrals to Drug Court are made by
individual case officers. Cases are staffed with the Probation Director and
Drug Court Coordinator, then taken before a team consisting of the Judge,
District Attorney, Public Defender, treatment provider, School Board
Representative, Mental Health Representative, and the Office of Juvenile Justice
Services. Once accepted, the offender is placed in the program where they meet
with the counselor three times a week, the Field Officer three times a week, and
appear before the judge once a week. The offender is on “regular probation” but
detailed into this program as an option to regular probation. Once completing
this program, the offender’s records can be expunged as a reward for
completion. The Drug Court program lasts an average of 9-12 months.
The Juvenile Drug Court Treatment Program is a collaborative effort of the
Calcasieu Parish Police Jury - Office of Juvenile Justice Services, Fourteenth
Judicial Family and Juvenile Court, Calcasieu Parish District Attorney’s Office,
Public Defender’s Program, Office for Addictive Disorders and the Calcasieu
Parish School Board. The program is funded by the Louisiana Supreme Court Drug
Court Program, and the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury – Office of Juvenile Justice
Services. The Calcasieu Parish Juvenile Drug Court Treatment Program office is
located a 3615 East Prien Lake Road, Lake Charles, LA 70615.
Mr.
William Sommers is the Director. For more information about the Calcasieu
Parish Juvenile Drug Court Treatment Program contact
wsommers@cppj.net,
SHOPLIFTERS
ACCOUNTABILITY PROGRAM
The Shoplifters Accountability Program was
initiated in 2001 in response to the growing number of juveniles charged with
shoplifting. This educational program targets delinquents charged with
misdemeanor and felony Theft of Goods and one or both parents. The program is
held on Saturday mornings and participants are charged a fee of $25. Juveniles
are required to write a letter of apology to the merchant or victim of their
shoplifting.
The
goal of the program is to educate the juvenile and parents on the laws
pertaining to shoplifting, the legal and social consequences, and the negative
effects shoplifting can have on their lives.
Mr. William Sommers is the
Director of Probation/Intake Services. For more information about any of these
programs contact
wsommers@cppj.net.
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