What We Do
The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office handles all felony cases in Douglas County, Georgia. Our office is composed of multiple specialty units to help ensure that justice is being served effectively and efficiently to protect our community.
Organization Chart
The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office is composed of five specialty units. These units are the Pre-Charging Unit, P.A.C.E., Trial Team, Special Victims Unit, and the Juvenile Division.
Units
Pre-Charging Unit (PCU)
The Pre-Charging Unit (PCU) is responsible for preliminary case evaluation. The unit gathers evidence necessary to assess whether a case should proceed to the trial line for prosecution or be referred for alternative disposition. PCU also has primary responsibility for grand jury presentments, first appearance hearings, and preliminary hearings.
P.A.C.E.
The Programs Accountability and Community Engagement (P.A.C.E.) Unit administers the office's alternative disposition programs, more commonly referred to as Drug Court, Mental Health Court (HOPE Court), Veteran's Treatment Court, Opioid Court, and Pre-Trial Diversion. These programs have offender accountability and victim restitution as their central focus.
Trial Team
The trial division is responsible for prosecuting the majority of the criminal cases. The trial division is broken into three different teams, with each one being assigned to one Superior Court judge. The Trial Division’s attorneys handle bond hearings, motions, arraignments, trials, and probation revocations.
Special Victims Unit
The Special Victims Unit (SVU) investigates and prosecutes all sexual offenses, crimes against children, human trafficking, elder abuse, and complex domestic violence offenses. The team includes prosecutors with specialized training in trauma, forensic science, the dynamics of domestic violence, and interviewing child victims. The unit is committed to holding offenders accountable while ensuring that our most vulnerable victims are treated with respect and dignity
Juvenile Division
The Juvenile Division handles all criminal cases in the Juvenile Court system in Douglas County. A juvenile is classified as an individual under the age of 17.
Record Restriction
Open Records Request Form
Open Records Request Forms may be emailed to: daopenrecords@douglascountyga.gov
Contact Us
Email: da@co.douglas.ga.us
Phone: 770-920-7292
Address: 8700 Hospital Drive Douglasville, GA 30134
The office is staffed Monday through Friday 8 a.m.- 5 p.m., except for major national and state holidays.
FEATURED RESOURCE
See the Criminal Justice Process Chart
The criminal justice process can be confusing for those who are not familiar with the various steps that are involved in the process. The three main stages are prosecution and pretrial services, adjudication, and post-conviction. Our office has the following chart available as a resource to show the various steps in the criminal justice process:
Download PDF
Prosecution
The prosecution phase of the criminal justice process occurs after an arrest has taken place once a warrant has been taken out after the initial investigation. The defendant will then have a first appearance hearing in front of a magistrate judge where it will be determined if they will receive a bond (bail) or not. A defendant may then have a preliminary hearing to show probable cause as to why the case should be sent to Superior Court. A prosecutor will review the case and will draft an accusation or an indictment. If an indictment is drafted it will be presented to the Grand Jury, who will determine if there was probable cause for an arrest and the charges. If the Grand Jury agrees, the case will then be “true billed,” and will move forward with prosecution. Once a case has been indicted or accused the defendant will be arraigned, which takes place at the beginning of the adjudication phase of prosecution.
Adjudication
When a defendant is arraigned they can either enter a guilty plea or a not guilty plea. If the defendant enters a guilty plea, then the case will go to the sentencing phase. If the defendant enters a not guilty plea, then the case will continue with motions and move towards a trial posture. Motions are mainly evidentiary and are heard before trial. The defense attorney and prosecutor will discuss the case and could reach an agreeance on a plea off., If the defendant agrees to plead guilty in the case, the plea will be heard in front of the Judge. A defendant can choose to plea to a negotiated plea, which is where the defense and attorney reached an agreement on what the offer should be, or the defendant can choose to plea non-negotiated, which means the Judge would ultimately decide what the defendant’s sentence should be. If the defendant requests a trial the courts will move forward with a trial and the defendant could be found guilty or not guilty. If the defendant is found guilty at trial, then it will go into the sentencing phase. Sentencing could result in either probation or prison, which is a part of the Post Conviction stage of the Criminal Justice Process.
Post Conviction
Once a defendant has been sentenced they could be sent to prison or will serve time on probation. If the defendant receives prison time, they could be eligible for parole, if they meet the requirements to parole out. In the State of Georgia probationers and parolees are supervised by the Department of Community Supervision. If a defendant is sentenced to serve time in prison, victims can sign up to be notified by the Pardons and Parole board to be notified of their release, or if the defendant is up for parole. The Georgia Office of Victims Services website is https://pap.georgia.gov/georgia-office-victim-services. If you need assistance in signing up to be notified call our office to speak with one of our victim advocates, and they can help you.