Who decides what charges to file, and how do they make that decision?
Deputy district attorneys review cases brought to the District Attorney’s Office by law enforcement agencies. The facts are reviewed in light of current laws to decide whether criminal charges should be filed in court.
Where is the courthouse located?
Criminal Courts are located at the Ventura County Government Center at 800 South Victoria Avenue, Ventura, and the Juvenile Courthouse is located at 4353 East Vineyard, Oxnard. The East County Courthouse is at 3855-F Alamo Street, Simi Valley. For directions and maps, visit the Ventura County Superior Court’s website: https://ventura.courts.ca.gov/.
Where do I find information about family support? Who can I talk to about wages garnished for child support?
The District Attorney’s Office no longer handles child support cases. These cases are handled by the Ventura County Department of Child Support Services. You can obtain more information from their website located at: https://venturacounty.gov/child-support-services/. You can also contact them directly by calling (866) 901-3212.
Where do I find a list of all District Attorney’s Office employees and their email addresses?
For security reasons, such a list is not provided to the public. You may call (805) 654-2500 to be connected to an employee’s voicemail. You may also send an email to our office with the employee’s name in the subject line and it will be forwarded to the employee.
Where can I find a catalogue of County of Ventura enterprise systems covered by SB 272?
A catalogue of County of Ventura enterprise systems covered by SB 272 is available in PDF form on the County of Ventura website found here.
What is the District Attorney’s jurisdiction?
The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office prosecutes crimes that occur throughout Ventura County.
What if I have a question that is not answered in your FAQs?
Call or visit our office. Our receptionists will try to assist you; however, we cannot give legal advice on private legal issues.
What happens at the arraignment, preliminary hearing, and pre-trial court dates?
At an arraignment, the charges against the defendant are presented, a lawyer is appointed if the defendant cannot afford one, and the defendant’s plea is entered. At a preliminary hearing, the prosecutor presents evidence to a judge to show there is probable cause that the defendant committed the crime(s) charged and should face trial. A pre-trial conference is an opportunity for the parties to discuss the case with the judge, including possible dispositions and dates for future court hearings.
I would like to contact the victim’s family; will you provide their contact information?
To protect the privacy rights of victims, we do not give out contact information regarding victims or their families.
I would like to contact the defense attorney; who is he or she and what is his or her telephone number?
If the defendant is represented by the Public Defender’s Office, call (805) 654-2201. If the defendant is represented by a private attorney, you may look up the attorney’s contact information on the California State Bar Association’s website: https://apps.calbar.ca.gov/attorney/LicenseeSearch/QuickSearch.