Court-Related Offices

Families In Need of Services (FINS)

The Louisiana Children’s Code Title VII provides for the establishment of Families in Need of Service. Art. 726 states its purpose:

To define self-destructive behaviors by the child and conduct by other family members which contribute to the child’ s harm and which warrant court intervention in the family’s life so that appropriate services to remedy the family’s dysfunction can be secured;

To secure the effectiveness of the court’ s intervention by explicitly confirming its duty to obtain the cooperation and coordination of all public institutions or agencies having responsibility to supply services to any member of the family referred to the court;

To establish a family service plan binding upon all family members and the appropriate service providers; and

To protect the integrity of the family by authorizing adjudication and the imposition of a dispositional judgment requiring participation in a plan of services only after all available voluntary alternatives have been exhausted.

FINS Coordinator - Melanie Burl (985) 331-4566

Juvenile Probation

Juvenile probation officers are assigned to each division of court. They work closely with the judges, the schools and FINS in monitoring juveniles.

Division A - Jonah Bartholomew (985) 497-8951 Division B - n/a Division C - Samantha Wilson (985) 331-4554

Juvenile Center

The 40th JDC Juvenile Center is located at 1212 Hwy 44 (River Road) in Reserve. It is used for meetings between probation officers and families by appointment only. Interagency conferences and classes in parenting, anger management, etc. pertaining to juveniles and families are also held at the Juvenile Center.

Phone
(985) 536-1107
(985) 536-1108

Clerk of Court

Eliana DeFrancesch, Clerk of Court
Link: www.stjohnclerk.org

District Attorney

Bridget A. Dinvaut, District Attorney
Link: www.stjohnda.com

Public Defender Office

Fontella Baker, District Public Defender
Link: www.stjohnpdo.org

Sheriff

Michael "Mike" Tregre
Link: www.stjohnsheriff.org