Caddo Parish Criminal Court Records
Criminal court records in Caddo Parish are case files kept by the Caddo Parish Clerk of Court criminal division after a criminal matter reaches the court system. The file may include a bill of information or indictment, minute entries, arraignment events, motions, bond notes, hearing settings, pleas, verdicts, dispositions, sentences, probation terms, post-conviction filings, and copy or certification activity. This is broader than an arrest record. A booking or active warrant may start the trail, but the court record shows what was filed, what changed, and how the case ended.
The main trial court is the First Judicial District Court, Louisiana's district court for Caddo Parish. Its criminal division has Sections 1 through 5, and the clerk's judges page lists criminal judges and courthouse offices at 501 Texas Street in Shreveport. Shreveport City Court may handle city criminal or traffic matters, so a name search in district court will not always find a city-court case. The Caddo District Attorney also publishes a criminal case search and prosecution updates, but certified copies and official court filings come through the clerk.
The Caddo Parish District Attorney criminal division describes the local prosecution role and points users with Caddo court-date or record questions back to the clerk. This split matters: prosecutors file and manage charges, the court hears the case, and the clerk maintains the official case record.
That source helps separate prosecutor information from the court file, which is a common source of confusion in Caddo Parish criminal record searches.
Search Caddo Parish Criminal Cases
Start with the official criminal case channels that match the record sought. The Caddo Clerk Web Inquiry links to Clerk Connect for criminal inquiry access, while Clerk Connect provides subscription access for indexes and images. The clerk's remote access page lists Caddo pricing as $20 for a day, $50 for a month, or $500 for a year, with image printing at $0.60 per page. The clerk's open pages also note that criminal name index coverage begins January 1, 1980, and criminal images begin September 4, 2002, so older case work may need a written request.
- Open the clerk's Web Inquiry page and choose the criminal inquiry or Clerk Connect route for Caddo Parish.
- Search by defendant name, docket number, or the fields exposed inside the portal session.
- Review the case number, court section, hearing entries, minutes, and filing list before treating a result as a match.
- Use the Caddo DA criminal case search when a defendant-name or docket-number search of prosecution data may help.
- Request certified copies from the clerk when the record will be used for court, licensing, employment review, or another formal purpose.
The Caddo Parish Public Defender Office is also part of the criminal court ecosystem for eligible defendants. It does not replace the clerk as the record custodian, but its site and application page help explain representation, eligibility, and the defendant-facing path through district, juvenile, and city court.
The Public Defender application page states that a person seeking appointed counsel must provide financial information and pay a $40 nonrefundable application fee unless waived for good cause.
Representation records and court records are separate, but the public defender application helps explain why some defendant information is handled outside the public case index.
Caddo Parish Criminal Case Flow
A Caddo Parish criminal court record grows as the case moves through formal stages. A charge may begin from a warrant, arrest, summons, citation, bill of information, indictment, or other charging action. Once filed, the case is allotted to the appropriate criminal section or lower court. Each later event adds minutes, settings, motions, orders, or disposition entries. A full criminal case record should therefore be read from the first charge entry through the final sentence or dismissal, not from one charge line alone.
Case flow: Charges Filed › Arraignment › Pretrial / Motions › Plea or Trial › Disposition › Sentencing
| Stage | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Arraignment | The defendant is formally advised of the charge and enters an initial plea such as guilty, not guilty, or no contest. |
| Pretrial / Motions | Attorneys file requests, evidence issues are raised, bond may be reviewed, and hearings are set or continued. |
| Plea or Trial | The case may resolve by plea, bench trial, jury trial, dismissal, or another court-approved action. |
| Sentencing | The judge records jail, prison, probation, fines, costs, conditions, credit for time served, or post-conviction steps. |
The Caddo DA divisions page shows why some cases also touch appellate, juvenile, hot check, child support, and victim-related office functions. A court record may cite prosecutor action without exposing every internal prosecutor file.
The division structure is useful context when a criminal court record shows a case moving from filing to appeal, victim notice, or post-conviction activity.
Caddo Criminal Record Fields
Caddo Parish court-record data should be read conservatively because each portal exposes different fields. A clerk index may identify the case and filings, the daily criminal docket may show hearing logistics, and the DA search may show prosecution-side case information. The research did not locate a public universal case-number coding guide, so the safest approach is to match several fields before relying on a result. Names alone are weak identifiers.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case or docket number | The court's identifier for the criminal case, used for copy requests, fine or bond questions, and hearing checks. |
| Defendant | The person accused in the case; confirm by middle name, birth date when available, and case details. |
| Charges | The alleged offenses filed by indictment, bill of information, citation, summons, or later amendment. |
| Minute entries | The clerk's official summary of what occurred at hearings, including pleas, continuances, and rulings. |
| Disposition | The result of the charge or case, such as guilty, dismissed, acquitted, or nolle prosequi. |
| Sentence | Jail or prison time, probation, fines, costs, conditions, and other orders after conviction. |
The Caddo Public Defender contact page lists separate district, city court, and juvenile contacts. That is another reminder that a district criminal record, a city-court criminal record, and a juvenile matter may live in different public or restricted channels.
Those office divisions are not a substitute for a clerk search, but they help match the case venue to the right criminal record source.
Charges and Convictions
A charge is an accusation. A conviction is a result after a guilty plea, verdict, or other finding of guilt. Caddo Parish criminal court records can show charges that were amended, reduced, dismissed, or ended in acquittal. A record can also show more than one charge from the same case. For closer detail on the arrest-to-charge path, use the Caddo Parish arrest records and charges page; for custody status, use Caddo Parish inmate records.
| Charge | Conviction | |
|---|---|---|
| Stage | Accusation filed or accepted by the court | Final result by plea or finding |
| Proof | Based on probable cause or charging decision | Requires guilty plea or proof beyond a reasonable doubt |
| Record meaning | May be pending, amended, reduced, or dismissed | May trigger sentence, probation, costs, or later expungement review |
Caddo Criminal Access Rules
Louisiana Public Records Law gives adults the right to inspect, copy, or reproduce public records unless a specific law restricts access. For Caddo Parish criminal court records, that means public access often starts with the clerk, then moves to written copy request if the online path is incomplete. The Caddo Clerk public-record request page says public-record copy requests must be in writing, copies are $1 per page plus postage, and criminal requests may be directed to the named public-record request contact at the clerk's office.
Key Statutes:
La. R.S. 44:31 gives a right to inspect, copy, or reproduce public records unless another law limits access.
La. R.S. 44:32 addresses custodian duties, working hours, fees, request clarification, and substantial-disruption limits.
La. R.S. 44:3 restricts some law-enforcement and prosecutive records while leaving selected arrest, booking, citation, and charging records public.
The DA appellate division is the route for some prosecutor public-record questions. The Caddo DA appellate division page identifies public-records custodian contacts, while the clerk remains the source for court copies and certifications.
Using the correct custodian avoids sending a court-copy request to the prosecutor or a prosecution-record request to the clerk.
Restricted Caddo Criminal Records
Not every criminal court record is open through a public search. Juvenile records are confidential under Louisiana Children's Code article 412 except for traffic violations and specific authorized disclosures. Expunged records are removed from ordinary public access but are not destroyed. Sensitive victim identity, Social Security numbers, financial details, sealed exhibits, and pending investigatory material may also be withheld or redacted.
| Sealed | Expunged | |
|---|---|---|
| Public view | Hidden or limited by court order | Removed from ordinary public access |
| Record status | Still exists in court custody | Not destroyed under Louisiana expungement law |
| Who may see it | Parties or agencies allowed by order or law | Courts, prosecutors, law enforcement, the subject, counsel, and listed statutory users |
Caddo Clerk criminal costs list expungement-related payments to the clerk, Louisiana BCII, the sheriff, and the DA. Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure articles 971 and 973 define expungement and the confidentiality rules that follow. A 2025 automated expungement framework also appears in article 985.2, but eligibility still depends on the record and procedure.
The Caddo DA's 2025 caseload update cited 6,962 adult criminal non-traffic filings and 60 jury trials in 2024 from a Louisiana Supreme Court report.
The Caddo Parish Public Defender Office homepage provides the official defense-office context for eligible criminal defendants.
High filing volume makes exact case identifiers important, especially when several people share a similar name.
The Caddo DA blog publishes conviction and sentencing updates that can help place recent public criminal activity in context, but those posts are not the official court record.
Criminal Background Checks
A Caddo Parish criminal court search is not the same as a regulated background check. The clerk lists criminal background checks at $20 per name, criminal computer printouts and copies at $1 per page, and certified criminal copies with a $5 certification plus copy cost. A court index can help identify a case, but an official background check or certified copy may be needed for formal use.
Important: This website is not a consumer reporting agency and court information may not be used for FCRA-regulated decisions.
When a result may affect rights, employment, housing, licensing, or immigration status, verify the record with the official custodian and seek legal advice where needed.