Step 1: Find out which court your case is in
Pull out every document you were handed. In Shreveport the two names you are most likely to see are the First Judicial District Court and Shreveport City Court. According to the Caddo Parish District Attorney's Office, the First Judicial District Court is the parish court, its adult cases are heard at the Caddo Parish Courthouse at 501 Texas Street, and its criminal cases are divided among five sections. City Court sits at 1244 Texas Avenue, where the city's directory places its Civil Division, its Criminal / Traffic Division and its own Probation Office.
Circle the court name, the section or division, your case number and any date you have been given. Those four items are what every later phone call will start with.
Step 2: Learn who is supervising you
Some people answer to a City Court probation officer on Texas Avenue. Others report to the state. The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections runs its Shreveport District Office at 2525 Youree Drive, Suite 300, covering Caddo and Bossier parishes, open weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A few people deal with both at different stages.
If you are not sure which one you report to, call the clerk for the court that heard your case and ask. Don't guess, because the two offices keep separate files.
Step 3: Ask what the class has to include
Before you shop, ask your officer or the court a short set of questions and write down the replies:
- How many hours or sessions do you expect?
- Does it have to be in person, or is live online acceptable?
- What proof do you need, and who should send it?
- What is my deadline?
Keep in mind that only the court or your probation officer decides whether a particular program fits your order. A provider can describe its own class, but it cannot make that call for you, and neither can this directory.
Step 4: Build a short list
Use the listings on this site to collect three or four options. Note for each one the format, the meeting day and time, the total length and where it meets. If you work days at a plant, a store or a hospital, an evening or weekend group may be the only workable choice. If you have no reliable car, online or a location on a bus line matters more than anything else.
Step 5: Call each provider
Ask the same questions every time so you can compare fairly:
- When does the next group start, and can I join late?
- What is the make-up policy for a missed week?
- How is attendance tracked?
- What does the completion letter say, and how fast is it issued?
- Can you send records straight to my officer if I sign a release?
Ask about the full cost and payment options too, and write down exactly what each one tells you.
Step 6: Get the choice cleared
Take your short list back to the person supervising you. Name the provider, the format and the length, and ask plainly whether it will be accepted. If the answer is yes, ask for it in an email or note it in your own records with the date and the officer's name. If the answer is no, ask what would be.
Step 7: Plan the trips
Downtown Shreveport near Texas Street gets busy on court mornings, so leave extra time when a class and a hearing fall on the same day. If you report on Youree Drive, a class in that part of the city may let you combine errands. Bossier residents should allow for the bridge.
Step 8: Show up and keep your own file
Attend every session you can. After each one, write the date and the topic in a notebook or a phone note, and keep any sign-in receipts. If you have to miss a week, tell the instructor before the session, not after.
Step 9: Close it out
When you finish, get the completion letter and check that your name, case number, dates and hours are correct. Deliver it the way your officer or the court asked, and keep a copy. A week or so later, confirm that it was received and filed. Then keep the copy somewhere safe, since you may be asked for it again at a later review.