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Jenny Richardson Fore presents candidacy for 21st Judicial Juvenile Court; highlights truancy and rehabilitation focus
Summary
Jenny Richardson Fore spoke to the council about her candidacy for the 21st Judicial District juvenile court bench, emphasizing juvenile delinquency experience, interagency work and focus on truancy prevention and rehabilitation.
At the Livingston Parish Council meeting on Feb. 26, Jenny Richardson Fore (identified in the meeting as a candidate for juvenile court judge in the 21st Judicial District) introduced herself to the council and audience and outlined her background and priorities if elected.
Why it matters: The 21st Judicial District juvenile bench covers Livingston, St. Helena and Tangipahoa parishes; the next judge will hear delinquency and juvenile-related matters that affect local youth, schools and juvenile-services providers.
What Fore said
Fore said she is a Denham Springs resident and a lawyer who graduated from LSU (accounting undergraduate) and Southern University Law Center (magna laude). She described clerking for a circuit judge and then working for roughly 10 years in the public defender’s office representing children in juvenile delinquency cases. Fore said the 21st JDC has “the biggest caseload in the state,” citing Judge Edwards’s reported 2,000 cases in the prior year and noting she personally handled approximately 270 clients as a defender.
Policy emphasis
Fore told the council she wants to focus on rehabilitation and interagency coordination—working with the Department of Children and Family Services, state health authorities on mental-health needs, school systems on truancy and the Office of Juvenile Justice (probation). She highlighted local juvenile-detention programming at the Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center (GED/OSHA training, driver's ed and other programs) as examples of preparing young people for success and said she wants to address early reading and truancy, noting research she cited about reading proficiency by fourth grade and later school dropout and system involvement.
Campaign notes
Fore said she is running for the seat being vacated by Judge Edwards and asked for the council’s and community’s support in the March 29 election. No council action was taken on the presentation; it was given as a candidate introduction.
Provenance: Candidate remarks appear in the meeting transcript during the presentations portion of the agenda.
