(The Center Square) — Recent juvenile crime numbers released during the Feb. 4 Caddo Commission work session show a slight uptick since January in the parish.
Parish administrator and CEO Erica Bryant noted the most recent juvenile numbers with 17 in detention, five are with the Office of Juvenile Justice, 24 with the chief court counselor and 458 probation cases in the parish.
For comparison, in the Jan. 21 Caddo Commission work session, there were 20 in detention, 60 on probation and three in custody of the Office of Juvenile Justice.
In the Jan. 6 work session, juvenile numbers were 13 in detention, 22 with the chief court counselor and 472 probation cases.
Crime has been an ongoing issue for years in the parish. A recent report from the juvenile justice office showed Caddo Parish, with a population of 226,386, had the highest number of juveniles incarcerated — 108 locked up in Caddo Parish compared to 90 in East Baton Rouge Parish, population 448,467, and 72 in Orleans Parish, population 364,136.
However, juvenile crime did decrease from 2023 to 2024. In 2023, juvenile crime stats in Caddo Parish saw over 1,800 young adults involved in crime. In 2024, that number decreased to 710.
In December, the Caddo Parish district attorney called for a panel gathering to discuss decreasing the number of juveniles involved in crime.
“As our Caddo Parish juvenile court has toughened up with the times, what is sorely needed is analysis of and investment in the programming these juveniles receive while incarcerated,” District Attorney James Stewart said in a statement.
Last year, Caddo Parish led the state for juvenile arrests, with 252 teens arrested. Records for the start of 2025 have yet to be released.
However, crime statistics for Shreveport were released, reporting three homicides, 169 shots fired reports, 17 shootings, 162 burglaries, and three robberies. While the ages of those involved were not noted on the report, these numbers are a drop in crime from this time last year.
“It is time to look at the programming that the juveniles that are in our juvenile prisons are receiving,” Wilbert Pryor said in a KTBS statement.
Many news outlets note the Thanksgiving Day incident involving Jamarion Bryant, 18, and Deandre Daniels, 29, when mentioning juvenile crime. Both died after shooting each other. Bryant had previously served five years in juvenile prison for armed robbery.
As of now, there have been no updates concerning the ongoing fight to eliminate or decrease juvenile crime. The Caddo Parish Commission will have another work session on Feb. 18.
