Check Out the Latest Numbers on Jury Trials in Caddo Parish

Crime numbers in Shreveport have gone down dramatically over the past year. The experts point to several reasons for the dip. One key element is the use of more technology in our neighborhoods. Things like cameras and drones have helped assist police in catching the bad guys.

Are We Seeing Improvements in the Courts?

But we also have to hope the change is also happening on the judicial side of the equation. Caddo District Attorney James Stewart is widely criticized for being “soft on crime”. But is he? The latest numbers suggest something completely different.
The State Supreme Court issues a detailed report each year on the activities of the courts across the state. The numbers for 2024 show Caddo is one of the top 3 parishes in the state for bringing cases to a jury trial.

The numbers show there were 60 jury trials conducted in Caddo District Court last year. The top parish for jury trials is Orleans which held 145 jury trials and Jefferson is 2nd with 76 jury trials.

READ MORE: Take a look at crime rates in Shreveport Vs Bossier

But you have to consider Jefferson Parish has more than 400,000 residents while the Caddo Parish population is about 250,000. Orleans Parish has about 350,000 residents. Both of those larger parishes also have twice as many judges handling criminal court cases.

In Caddo Parish, there are 11 judges. 5 of those judges handle criminal cases. But one of the five only handles drug court. So that judge does not typically hear cases that are not specifically drug related. That means Caddo has only 4 judges hearing all of the criminal cases.

What Were the Results of the Criminal Trials in Caddo?

41 defendants were found guilty as charged, seven were found guilty of lesser charges, seven pleaded guilty after their jury was sworn in, three resulted in a hung jury or mistrial, and two resulted in not guilty verdicts. The DA’s office says that represents a 92 percent conviction rate.

You can’t argue with that number. But was 2024 an anomaly in Caddo with an unusually high number of criminal cases? KEEL News checked the data from previous years. Caddo Parish conducted 61 jury trials in 2023 and 51 in 2022. So this year is on par with what has been going on in our courts.

So What Is the Problem in Getting Justice?

Part of the problem is the backlog of inmates in the jail. Many of those inmates are being held for the state. Others are awaiting trial. That problem stems directly from a lack of funding for public defenders. Many of the attorneys working in that arena are handing hundreds of cases. That slows down the process. We have got to find a better way to provide attorneys for suspected criminals locked up in our jails. The quicker we can bring these people to justice, the better off our community will be.

Do We Need More Judges?

But others in the legal community say we should also take a look at the allocation of our judges. Could we shift more of them to the criminal court side? That’s another topic worth discussing. Do we need more judges in Caddo Parish?

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Another big problem people talk about is the criminal who is a repeat offender. You will see folks post data about criminals out on the streets after 3 or more convictions. They often ask why aren’t these people behind bars. Sentencing is not the job of the district attorney. He has no control over what sentences are handed out. The judges do that. And often judges have limits on what they can do.

What I do know is that this is a very complicated problem and it is going to take all of our leaders to work together to continue to fight for laws and the money needed to make sure we get criminals off the streets and make sure they are no longer a danger to others.