Internal prototype — noindexed, not linked from public navigation yet.

La. Ch. Code art. 896

This is the official text of La. Ch. Code art. 896, part of Louisiana’s Children's Code — governs child custody, child protection, and juvenile justice in Louisiana.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

Deferred dispositional agreement

Official statutory text

A. At any time after the entry of an adjudication order, the court may, on motion of the district attorney or of counsel for the child, suspend further proceedings and place the child on supervised or unsupervised probation, with or without any of the conditions authorized by Article 897(B)(1) or Article 899(B)(1).

B. The child and his parent must consent to this special type of disposition. If the child has waived counsel, the court must advise the child and his parent concerning the consequences of a deferred dispositional agreement and of the child's right to have a disposition imposed by the court in accordance with Articles 897 through 900.

C. A deferred dispositional agreement order shall comply with all the requirements of Article 903.

D. A deferred dispositional agreement shall remain in force for six months unless the child is discharged sooner by the court. Upon application of the district attorney or by any agency supervising the child made before the expiration of the six-month period, a deferred dispositional agreement order may be extended by the court for an additional period not to exceed six months, or for such period in which the child is a full-time participant in a juvenile drug court program operated by a court of this state, whichever period is longer.

E. If prior to the expiration of the order a new petition alleging the commission of a delinquent act is filed against the child, or the child otherwise fails to fulfill the express terms and conditions of the order, the court may proceed to impose any disposition authorized by this Title and the child may be held accountable as if the deferred dispositional agreement order had never been entered.

F. If the child satisfactorily completes the court ordered period of supervision, the court shall discharge the child from any further supervision or conditions, set aside the adjudication, and dismiss the petition with prejudice.

G. Pursuant to the provisions of this Article, the court has the authority to utilize or initiate a teen or youth court program and may assess a fee to a participant in the program to offset costs.

H. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a child shall not be eligible for a deferred dispositional agreement as provided in this Article if the child has been convicted of a crime of violence as defined in R.S. 14:2(B).

Acts 1991, No. 235, §8, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 2003, No. 334, §1; Acts 2003, No. 940, §1; Acts 2022, No. 565, §1.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.