DA Montgomery’s Crime Prevention Fund

The fund supports programs that help youths learn about the value of making good choices and avoiding the criminal justice system. It also supports crime-fighting programs that assist individuals in overcoming past mistakes and hurdles to leading productive lives. Some of these programs include the Fresh Start Program, Kids L.E.A.D. (Legal Education And Discovery), and Teach One To Lead One.

Fresh Start Program

District Attorney Warren Montgomery has launched his new Fresh Start Program. The program is designed to give individuals the opportunity to clear a past arrest or conviction for a minor offense in St. Tammany or Washington Parishes from their criminal records, if they qualify under state law for a process called Expungement. The program’s goal is to help citizens who have lost job opportunities and other privileges because of their past mistakes move into a brighter future. Many who may qualify have been discouraged from applying to get their records expunged because of the costs ($550 in fees alone) and because the process can be long and difficult without the help of an attorney, which would add thousands of dollars to the actual cost.  http://damontgomery.org/freshstart

Kids L.E.A.D. (Legal Education And Discovery)
Program description: Kids L.E.A.D. is a legal education program in partnership with St. Tammany Parish Schools to teach schoolchildren about the criminal justice system and help them make good choices. It also introduces the students to a variety of legal careers by providing speakers each week on a different legal topic for the entire semester. Students also are taken on relevant field trips.

Teach One To Lead One
Program Description: Teach One To Lead One (T1L1) is a community mentoring program that teaches universal principles to lead at-risk kids into a life of purpose and potential. The principles are: Respect, Integrity, Self-Control, Courage, Humility, Excellence, Compassion, Enthusiasm, and Teamwork. https://t1l1.org/the-principles/