Cameron Parish Criminal Court Records Search
Cameron Parish criminal court records are filed and maintained through the 38th Judicial District Court, located in the small coastal parish seat of Cameron. Whether you need to search for a criminal case, check a charge, or request copies of court documents, this page explains how to access Cameron Parish criminal court records online and what to expect when making in-person or mail requests.
Cameron Parish Quick Facts
The 38th Judicial District Court
The 38th Judicial District Court serves Cameron Parish exclusively. This is one of Louisiana's smallest and most rural parishes, located along the Gulf Coast in the far southwest corner of the state. All criminal cases in the parish go through this district court. The Cameron Parish Clerk of Court is Susan Racca. The clerk's office is at 119 Smith Circle, Cameron, LA 70631 (P.O. Box 549). You can reach the clerk by phone at (337) 775-5316. The clerk's website is at cameronparishcoc.com. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
District Attorney Tom Barrett handles prosecution for criminal cases in Cameron Parish through the 38th JDC. Cases decided in this court can be appealed to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, which covers southwest and south-central Louisiana parishes. If a case went to the 3rd Circuit, those appeal records are held separately from the district court file in Cameron.
La. R.S. 44:1 establishes the public's right to access government records. La. R.S. 44:32(A) requires the clerk to make criminal court records available to any adult who asks. You do not need to show a reason or be a party to the case to request records. Electronic filing and eRecording are available through the 38th JDC, making current case filings more accessible digitally than older paper records.
How to Search Cameron Parish Criminal Court Records Online
The primary online tool for Cameron Parish criminal court records is the eClerks LA statewide portal. eClerks LA provides free access to adult criminal records across all 64 Louisiana parishes, including Cameron. You can search by name or case number to get basic case details like charges, filing dates, and dispositions. No account is needed for a basic name search.
The Cameron Parish Clerk's own website is also available and is shown below. It provides direct access to the clerk's office portal for Cameron-specific records.
The clerk's website is the best starting point for Cameron Parish-specific searches, especially for cases that may not yet appear in the broader statewide index.
The eClerks LA portal is shown below and covers Cameron Parish along with the rest of the state.
eClerks LA gives you index-level access at no charge. It shows you whether a record exists and provides key case details, but it does not replace the full paper or digital record held at the courthouse. For certified copies or complete case documents, you still need to contact the Clerk of Court in Cameron directly. Cameron Parish is a small coastal parish, and court activity is lower volume compared to most other Louisiana parishes, but the records are maintained and accessible through the same public tools that cover the rest of the state.
Juvenile records are sealed by Louisiana law and are not available through any public search portal, including eClerks LA or the clerk's own website.
In-Person and Mail Requests
To get criminal court records in person, visit the Cameron Parish Courthouse at 119 Smith Circle in Cameron. The Clerk of Court's office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Bring the full name of the person you are searching for, and a case number if you have one. If you do not have a case number, staff can search by name and approximate date range. The clerk's office handles requests for docket sheets, case files, certified copies, and plain copies of criminal court documents.
Copy fees follow standard Louisiana clerk rates. Uncertified copies typically cost $1 per page. Certified copies carry an additional fee and include the clerk's official seal. For mail requests, write to the Cameron Parish Clerk of Court at P.O. Box 549, Cameron, LA 70631, and include a check or money order for the estimated fees. Clearly note the name and case details you are requesting. Call (337) 775-5316 before sending your request to confirm current fees and processing time. Cameron is a small parish with a small courthouse staff, so response times for mail requests may vary depending on workload, especially during storm season when the area can face weather-related closures.
Types of Criminal Court Records in Cameron Parish
The 38th JDC clerk's office holds the full range of criminal court records for cases that went through the Cameron Parish court system. These include charging documents, arraignment records, plea agreements, trial transcripts, verdicts, and sentencing orders. Bond documents and probation conditions are also part of most case files. Arrest records where no charges were filed are typically held by the Cameron Parish Sheriff rather than the clerk of court. If you need booking or arrest information from an incident that did not result in court charges, contact the sheriff's office.
Under La. R.S. 44:36, felony conviction records are retained permanently. Misdemeanor records must be kept for at least 10 years. Traffic violation records are held for a minimum of 3 years. Cameron Parish has experienced significant hurricane impacts over the years, which may affect the availability of older paper records. If you are searching for records from before major storms, it is worth calling the clerk's office to confirm what is still on file and in what condition before making the trip.
State-Level Criminal Record Resources
Several state-level tools provide criminal record access beyond what the Cameron Parish courthouse holds on its own.
The Louisiana State Police maintains the state's central criminal record repository under La. R.S. 15:578. Their background check service at LSP's background check portal costs $31 and returns a compiled statewide conviction record. Louisiana is a closed record state under La. R.S. 15:587, so this check excludes arrests that did not result in conviction. It covers all 64 parishes including Cameron.
The Louisiana Department of Corrections offers a free DOC Offender Search covering current and former state-supervised offenders statewide. The Louisiana Sex Offender Registry is also free and searchable by name or area. For federal criminal cases involving Cameron Parish, use PACER. Cameron Parish falls under the Western District of Louisiana for federal court purposes.
Expungement of Criminal Records in Cameron Parish
Louisiana expungement is governed by La. C.Cr.P. Art. 971 and related statutes. Expungement removes a record from public view but does not permanently destroy the underlying data. Law enforcement retains access to expunged records under certain circumstances defined by state law.
To start the process in Cameron Parish, you file a motion with the 38th Judicial District Court. Required fees are: Clerk of Court $200, Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information $250, District Attorney $50, and Sheriff $50. Not all records qualify. First-time non-violent offenders who have completed their sentence tend to have the clearest path to expungement. Arrests that did not lead to conviction are often eligible for expungement more quickly than conviction-based records.
Once granted, the expungement removes the record from public access tools and from the clerk's public files. It will not appear in standard background checks. If you are not sure whether your case qualifies, talking to a local attorney before you file is a good idea. Errors in the petition can delay the process and may require paying the fees again from the start.
Cities in Cameron Parish
Cameron is both the parish seat and the largest community in Cameron Parish. Other small communities include Hackberry, Lake Arthur (which also extends into Jefferson Davis Parish), and Grand Chenier. None of the communities in Cameron Parish meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. All criminal court records for the parish, regardless of which community a case originated from, are filed with the Cameron Parish Clerk of Court through the 38th Judicial District Court.
Nearby Parishes
Cameron Parish borders two other southwest Louisiana parishes. Records from neighboring parishes are handled by their own clerks of court and fall under different judicial districts.