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How Bond Works in East Baton Rouge Parish
Bond is not a punishment and it is not a fine. It is security that you will appear. Louisiana courts consider a set of factors when setting the amount, including the seriousness of the offense, the weight of the evidence, prior criminal history, ties to the community, employment, and the risk of flight. In practice,…
Baton Rouge City Court or the 19th JDC? Which Court Will Hear Your Case
People routinely show up at the wrong courthouse. It is an understandable mistake, because Baton Rouge has two criminal courts operating within a few blocks of each other and the routing rule is not obvious. The short version: the level of the charge and the place of the alleged offense decide the court, not where…
Resisting Arrest and Battery on a Police Officer Charges in Baton Rouge
It’s common for someone arrested in Baton Rouge to end up facing more than the original charge that started the encounter — resisting arrest and battery on a police officer are two of the charges we see added most often, sometimes even when the underlying original charge is minor or later dropped entirely. Resisting arrest…
Expunging a Criminal Record in East Baton Rouge Parish
A lot of people who’ve resolved a criminal case in Baton Rouge — whether through a dismissal, an acquittal, or completing a sentence — don’t realize the record doesn’t just disappear on its own. Louisiana has a formal expungement process, handled through the Clerk of Court, and eligibility depends heavily on the type of offense…
Felony vs. Misdemeanor Charges in Baton Rouge: How the Charge Gets Decided
One of the most common questions we get from people arrested in Baton Rouge is simple: is this a felony or a misdemeanor? The answer isn’t always obvious at the moment of arrest, and it can change as the case moves forward. When someone is arrested, the arresting officer books them on the charge they…
First Appearance and Bail in the 19th Judicial District Court: What to Expect
Every criminal case arrested within East Baton Rouge Parish moves through the 19th Judicial District Court. For someone newly arrested — or their family — the first real contact with that court is the “first appearance,” where a judge formally advises the accused of the charges and addresses bail. In practice, this hearing is brief….
What Happens After You’re Booked at East Baton Rouge Parish Prison
If someone you love has just been arrested in Baton Rouge, the first hours can be the most confusing and frightening part of the entire process. Most adult arrests in East Baton Rouge Parish end with the person being transported to East Baton Rouge Parish Prison (EBRPP) on Fair Wood Drive, where they are booked,…
Arrested in Baton Rouge? What Happens in the First 72 Hours
The phone call usually comes at two in the morning. A son, a husband, a girlfriend is in handcuffs after a stop on I-10 or an incident near the LSU campus, and the family wants to know one thing: what happens now? After years of defending people in this city, we can tell you the…
Louisiana Wrongful Conviction Compensation: Why the AG’s Opposition Is Wrong
Louisiana Says It Compensates the Innocent. Our Attorney General Is Fighting to Make Sure It Doesn’t. By David Rozas, Rozas Law I have spent 21 years defending people the state of Louisiana wanted to lock up. In that time, I have learned that the hardest part of this job is not the trial. It…
Clearing Your Record: How Expungement Works in Louisiana
A criminal record does not just sit in a courthouse file. It shows up when you apply for a job, an apartment, a nursing license, sometimes even a volunteer position at your kid’s school. One arrest from ten years ago keeps costing you, over and over. And here is the part that surprises people: it…
