The Juvenile Division of the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office represents the interests of crime victims and the state in criminal proceedings against juvenile offenders aged 17 or younger. The division features those Assistant District Attorneys assigned to present evidence and witness testimony in the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court.
In many cases, youth offenders are accepted into the OPDA’s Juvenile Diversion program, where they have been given the tools and opportunity to reform their behavior under supervision before a criminal record is imposed. Others, by virtue of the seriousness of their offenses, have their cases adjudicated in the Juvenile Court system, where consequences can include detention up to the defendant’s 21st birthday.
The Juvenile Division of the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office is housed at the New Orleans Juvenile Justice Center
Process of Criminal Prosecutions in Juvenile Court
Process of Child Protection and Dependency Proceedings
The dependency division represents the interests of children who are victims of neglect, abuse, and lack of supervision in child protection proceedings brought before the juvenile court.