John Creuzot
Criminal District Court No. 4
by Judge Jay Patterson
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Something unusual is going on in the courtroom of Criminal District Court No. 4 Judge John Creuzot. On a typical Friday morning, Judge Creuzot enters the courtroom not in a robe, but in a sports jacket. "Hey guys, what's going on?" Judge Creuzot says in greeting.
The nearly 30 faces before him are evenly divided between white and black with two brown. They are addicted felony probationers present to meet weekly with Judge Creuzot as a condition of their probation. There are no attorneys present.
This is DIVERT (Dallas Initiative for Expedited Rehabilitation and Treatment), a federally-funded program for high-risk people with felony records who have been to the penitentiary. Judge Creuzot established DIVERT to improve the chances of addicted probationers to break the cycle of addiction, crime, and imprisonment.
Addressing an attractive young blond woman in the courtroom, Judge Creuzot says, "Let's hear from Christie. This is her last meeting." Christie stands up in place and begins, "In '99, I used drugs bad, crack cocaine, then methamphetamines. I straightened up and learned a lot. I'm financially independent now. I am proud of myself and my family is proud of me."
Judge Creuzot tells Christie, "It is so satisfying to see how you've done. It shows others what they can do."
The success of the program has amazed Judge Creuzot as well as others. In addition to meeting weekly in Judge Creuzot's courtroom, probationers staying out of jail through the DIVERT program must: have a weekly urine analysis, have a sponsor, attend group sessions, and stay in a recovery program.
"Before DIVERT, what we were doing was not working well," Judge Creuzot said. "We lawyers and judges are extremely blessed to be in the positions we're in. My motivation is that I am making a contribution. And there is a tremendous savings in tax dollars."
A national leader in working to find ways to resist the apparent inevitable downward spiral for drug and alcohol addicts, Judge Creuzot also serves as a faculty trainer for the National Drug Court Institute.
Judge Creuzot, the youngest of three children, grew up in New Orleans and then Houston. He graduated from the University of North Texas in 1978 with a major in philosophy, He received his JD from Southern Methodist University Law School in 1982.
He worked under District Attorneys Henry Wade and John Vance where he served as Chief Felony Prosecutor until 1989. He then went into private practice until 1991, when the governor appointed him to the bench. He was elected in 1992 and re-elected in 1996 and 2000.
According to Judge Creuzot, most of the judges and attorneys "have grown up together and know what is expected in the criminal courts." The criminal bench and bar are a smaller community. as a result, there are no local rules for the Dallas criminal courts as there are for the civil courts. Judge Creuzot expects attorneys to be on time for trial, be prepared and have witnesses arrive on time. They should subpoena witnesses and have writs of attachments ready in case a witness fails to appear. Attorneys should have all proper motions filed and copies of cases ready to show the Judge. They should "act decent" and follow the Code of Criminal Procedure.
"I will grant a hearing for any motion," Judge Creuzot said. He wants to rule on motions no earlier than 10 days before trial. He expects the state to turn over all documents and give a list of witnesses to the defense before trial.
Judge Creuzot says that he will always distinguish between the lawyer and the defendant and not let any failings of the lawyer hurt the client. He will intervene to appoint an experienced lawyer to assist an attorney. But, Judge Creuzot points out, an attorney can still hurt the client in front of the jury by being unprepared, disrespectful, repetitive or verbally abusive to witnesses.
Judge Creuzot and his wife, Nancy, who is working on her MBA, married three years ago. They have one son, Ethan, who is 20 months old. Judge Creuzot enjoys running and tries to run six to ten miles four times a week. He won the Fun Run at the 2001 Bench Bar Conference. He also rides a blue BMW motorcycle, which served as his transportation to the Bench Bar and to conferences of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals in New Orleans, San Francisco, Miami and Washington, D.C.
What does he like best about being a judge? "The ability to help other people. This is about life or death," he said.
The epitaph he hopes for? "He made a difference."
And, given the results to date of the DIVERT progam, Judge Creuzot is making a difference, combining his knowledge of the law, experience, and concern for people to make a real difference in our community. Because of his extra efforts, people have a second chance to lead successful lives.
Asked why civil lawyers should care about what he is doing, Creuzot answered, "These people could be anyone's child. And they are."
Judge Jay Patterson presides over the 101st District Court and is a member of the DBA Publications Committee.
Judge Jay Patterson presides over the 101st District Court and is a member of the DBA Publications Committee.
