Jefferson Davis Parish Criminal Records
Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records are maintained by the Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk of Court in Jennings, and Jefferson Davis Parish criminal cases from the 31st Judicial District Court cover felony charges, arrests, criminal convictions, and criminal court dockets filed in Jefferson Davis Parish.
Jefferson Davis Parish Quick Facts
Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk of Court
The Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk of Court is the official custodian of criminal court records for Jefferson Davis Parish. The Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk office is located at the courthouse in Jennings, with a mailing address of P.O. Box 799, Jennings, LA 70546. The main phone number is (337) 824-1160. The Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk office handles all Jefferson Davis Parish criminal case filings, criminal minute entries, and certified copy requests for the 31st Judicial District Court. All Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records from felony charges to criminal case dockets are maintained by this office.
In-person inspection of Jefferson Davis Parish public criminal records is free under Louisiana Revised Statute 44:31. Anyone can come in during Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk business hours and view Jefferson Davis Parish criminal case files at no charge. You do not need to explain why you want Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records. Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk office hours are typically Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, though you should call ahead to confirm current hours. Bring a valid photo ID when visiting the Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk for criminal records. The Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk staff can help you locate a Jefferson Davis Parish criminal case by name, docket number, or date.
If you need certified copies or plain paper copies of Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records, those carry a per-page fee. You can request Jefferson Davis Parish criminal record copies in person at the courthouse. The Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk does not currently offer a statewide online records portal for Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records, so most searches require a visit or a written request.
| Mailing Address | P.O. Box 799, Jennings, LA 70546 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (337) 824-1160 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM |
| Judicial District | 31st Judicial District Court |
| Circuit | 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal |
Note: Call the Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk office before visiting to confirm hours and confirm whether the Jefferson Davis Parish criminal record you need is stored on-site or in an archive.
Searching Criminal Records in Jefferson Davis Parish
To search Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records at the Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk of Court, go to the courthouse in Jennings during regular business hours. Bring the full name of the person you are searching for Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records, along with any other identifying details you have, such as a date of birth or a Jefferson Davis Parish criminal case number. The more details you can provide about Jefferson Davis Parish criminal cases, the faster the Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk staff can pull the right criminal file.
Jefferson Davis Parish does not currently participate in the ClerkConnect multi-parish online portal, so remote electronic access to Jefferson Davis Parish criminal case records is not available the way it is in some other Louisiana parishes. Your main options for Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records are an in-person visit to the Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk office, a written criminal records request by mail, or using a third-party records search service. If you mail a request for Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records, include a self-addressed stamped envelope and a check for copy fees if you want paper copies of Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records returned to you.
For broader statewide criminal record searches beyond Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana State Police maintains criminal history records through the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information. That is a separate system from what the Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk office holds. The Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk has Jefferson Davis Parish criminal court case records only. LSP has Jefferson Davis Parish criminal arrest and conviction history compiled across all agencies statewide. Both sources can be useful depending on what Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records you need.
The Louisiana State Police background check page explains how to request a criminal history report for Jefferson Davis Parish records and statewide criminal history for yourself or through an authorized requester.
The LSP criminal background check system covers Jefferson Davis Parish and all other Louisiana parishes, including arrests and criminal dispositions reported from Jefferson Davis Parish courts and law enforcement agencies.
Jefferson Davis Parish Court System
The 31st Judicial District Court serves Jefferson Davis Parish. This Jefferson Davis Parish criminal court handles all felony criminal cases filed in Jefferson Davis Parish, as well as civil matters and family law cases. The Jefferson Davis Parish courthouse for criminal matters is in Jennings. The Jefferson Davis Parish 31st JDC falls within the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, which hears Jefferson Davis Parish criminal appeals from southwest Louisiana parishes.
Misdemeanor and traffic Jefferson Davis Parish criminal matters are often handled at the local court level before reaching the Jefferson Davis Parish district court. For more serious Jefferson Davis Parish criminal charges, cases are prosecuted by the District Attorney office for the 31st JDC. If a Jefferson Davis Parish criminal case goes to trial, the verdict and all Jefferson Davis Parish criminal court documents become part of the permanent public criminal record at the Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk office. The Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk files every motion, minute entry, criminal plea agreement, and criminal judgment in the docket.
If you are trying to find out the status of a current Jefferson Davis Parish criminal case, the Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk staff can look up the next court date and the most recent entry in the Jefferson Davis Parish criminal docket. This is a free service. You do not need to buy a copy of the Jefferson Davis Parish criminal file to get basic criminal case status information.
Note: The 31st JDC covers Jefferson Davis Parish only, so criminal cases from neighboring parishes are filed separately with each parish own district court.
Louisiana State Criminal Records and Jefferson Davis Parish
Louisiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information (BCII) maintains the central criminal history database for the state that includes Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records. When a person is arrested and fingerprinted in Jefferson Davis Parish, that Jefferson Davis Parish criminal arrest information is reported to BCII. Jefferson Davis Parish criminal convictions and criminal case dispositions are also added when courts report them. The result is a statewide criminal history record that goes beyond what any single Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk office holds.
You can request your own Jefferson Davis Parish criminal history from LSP through the Internet Background Check (IBC) portal. That criminal history system lets individuals request their own Jefferson Davis Parish criminal record online. Third-party requests for Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records require written authorization and follow a different process. For licensing checks and other authorized requests, agencies can access Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records through official BCII channels.
The Louisiana Internet Background Check portal at ibc.dps.louisiana.gov is the online tool for self-requests and authorized Jefferson Davis Parish and statewide criminal background check submissions.
The IBC portal handles Jefferson Davis Parish and statewide criminal submissions electronically and returns criminal history results more quickly than mail-in requests to the state police bureau.
The Louisiana Department of Corrections also maintains an inmate locator for people currently in state criminal custody. If someone was sentenced to a state prison term after a Jefferson Davis Parish criminal conviction, you can find them through the DOC offender search tool at doc.la.gov. That database covers state criminal facilities only and does not include people held in local Jefferson Davis Parish jails on Jefferson Davis Parish criminal charges.
Expunging Criminal Records in Jefferson Davis Parish
Louisiana's expungement statute is La. R.S. 44:9. That law sets the rules for who can get a Jefferson Davis Parish criminal record expunged, what Jefferson Davis Parish criminal offenses qualify, and how the Jefferson Davis Parish criminal expungement process works. Not every Jefferson Davis Parish criminal record is eligible for expungement. Crimes of violence, sex offenses, and certain other Jefferson Davis Parish criminal categories are excluded by statute from expungement. If your Jefferson Davis Parish criminal record might qualify, the first step is confirming eligibility before spending money on non-refundable Jefferson Davis Parish criminal expungement fees.
The total cost to expunge a Jefferson Davis Parish criminal record in Louisiana typically runs around $550. That breaks down as roughly $300 to the Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk of Court and $250 to Louisiana State Police for the Jefferson Davis Parish criminal expungement. The LSP portion must be paid by money order. You may also need to pay the local Jefferson Davis Parish sheriff office for a criminal records review before filing. All Jefferson Davis Parish criminal expungement fees are non-refundable, so confirm Jefferson Davis Parish criminal expungement eligibility first.
To file a Jefferson Davis Parish criminal expungement petition, you go through the 31st Judicial District Court through the Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk office. The Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk can tell you what forms are needed for Jefferson Davis Parish criminal expungements. Once filed, the district attorney and law enforcement agencies have a window to object to the Jefferson Davis Parish criminal expungement. If there are no objections and the judge approves the Jefferson Davis Parish criminal expungement petition, the Jefferson Davis Parish criminal record is expunged. An attorney can help you through the Jefferson Davis Parish criminal expungement process, especially if your Jefferson Davis Parish criminal record involves multiple charges or a complicated criminal case history.
Note: Jefferson Davis Parish criminal expungement removes the criminal record from public access but does not necessarily destroy it. Law enforcement and certain agencies may still have access to expunged Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records under Louisiana law.
Copy Fees and Record Access in Jefferson Davis Parish
Public inspection of Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records at the Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk of Court is free. La. R.S. 44:31 guarantees the right to inspect Jefferson Davis Parish criminal public records at no cost. You can sit at the Jefferson Davis Parish courthouse and read a Jefferson Davis Parish criminal case file without paying anything. The Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk cannot deny you access to a Jefferson Davis Parish public criminal record or charge you just to look at it.
If you need copies of Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records, standard fees apply. Plain copies of Jefferson Davis Parish criminal documents are typically $1.00 per page. Certified copies of Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records carry a higher fee. Jefferson Davis Parish criminal history name searches run around $20 per name at most Louisiana clerk offices. The exact Jefferson Davis Parish criminal record fee schedule should be confirmed directly with the Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk at (337) 824-1160 before you visit, since local Jefferson Davis Parish criminal record fees can vary slightly from state averages.
For statewide criminal history reports from Louisiana State Police that include Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records, the fee is set by the state. A name-based criminal background check through LSP costs around $26. Fingerprint-based checks cost more and require submitting fingerprint cards or using a Live Scan service for Jefferson Davis Parish and statewide criminal searches. Check the LSP BCII forms page for current fee schedules and request forms for Jefferson Davis Parish and statewide criminal records.
The BCII forms page has downloadable request forms and instructions for both name-based and fingerprint-based Jefferson Davis Parish and statewide criminal history requests through Louisiana State Police.
Note: Fees paid to the Jefferson Davis Parish Clerk of Court and fees paid to Louisiana State Police for Jefferson Davis Parish criminal records are separate transactions. Each agency collects its own fees for Jefferson Davis Parish criminal record requests independently.
Nearby Parishes
These parishes border or sit near Jefferson Davis Parish. Each has its own clerk and court system. Use these links to search criminal records in an adjacent parish.