NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED CRIMINAL JUSTICE LEADER
Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot is a nationally recognized leader in criminal law and criminal justice reform, with more than 40 years of experience as a judge, criminal defense attorney and prosecutor. Creuzot was elected District Attorney in 2018 and is seeking his third term in 2026.
courtroom innovator
District Attorney John Creuzot has earned a national reputation for his innovative work on drug courts, criminal justice reform and evidence-based sentencing. He has regularly appeared in the news and on television as an expert on criminal justice topics.
educator
Creuzot has lectured and taught courses at the National Drug Court Institute, the National Judicial College, and the National Center for State Courts. He has also presented at several national training conferences for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, and has taught drug court teams from across the country. Creuzot has lectured and directed seminars for the Texas Center for the Judiciary, the Texas Bar Association, and the National Association of Drug Court Professionals.
protecting the community
Creuzot is known for his evidence-based methodology of testing criminal justice policy, evaluating results, and enacting the most successful innovations. His goal is protecting the community from the most dangerous criminals while instituting reforms that make the system fairer, save taxpayer dollars, help individuals escape the cycle of crime, and have overall public safety benefits for the community.
EDUCATION AND PERSONAL BACKGROUND
John Creuzot was born in New Orleans and spent his youth in Houston before coming to the Dallas area in the 1970s and graduating from the University of North Texas in 1978 and Southern Methodist University School of Law in 1982. He and his son are proud to call Dallas home.
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DIVERT Court
DIVERT Court
DIVERT Court
District Attorney John Creuzot, a national leader in justice reform, founded DIVERT Court ( (Dallas Initiative for Diversion and Expedited Rehabilitation and Treatment,) an evidence-based program that addresses substance use disorders and reduces recidivism.
Exonerations
DIVERT Court
DIVERT Court
Under District Attorney John Creuzot’s leadership, the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office remains a national model for conviction integrity. To date, he has helped secure exonerations in 10 cases, ensuring justice for the innocent and strengthening public trust in the system.
In the News
DIVERT Court
In the News
District Attorney John Creuzot’s leadership has earned consistent local, state, and national media attention for lowering violent crime, strengthening public safety, expanding diversion programs, and defending the independence of local prosecutors.
After his retirement from the judiciary
Dallas County honored John Creuzot by renaming its drug treatment facility the Judge John C. Creuzot Judicial Treatment Center in May of 2013. The center provides an intensive residential program as an alternative to incarceration for Dallas County probationers. The facility is coordinated with the Dallas Community Supervision and Corrections Department and the Dallas County Courts. The center works to ensure successful substance abuse treatment and reintegration into the community. It also offers education and skills training and job search assistance to probationers, and education and counseling for family members.
Recognitions
Select Awards and Honors
- Mental Health Association of Greater Dallas Prism Award
- National Association of Drug Court Professionals Drug Court Pioneer
- National Association of Drug Court Professionals Drug Court Hall of Fame
- University of North Texas President’s Award and Outstanding Alumni Award
- J.L. Turner Legal Association Outstanding Jurist Award
- Mothers Against Teen Violence Community Service Award
- Dallas Observer Best Criminal Judge Award
- Rev. Zan Holmes Leadership Award
- Southern Methodist University School of Law Outstanding Alumni Award
- Dallas Bar Association M.L. King Jr. Justice Award
- Texas Bar Criminal Justice Section Outstanding Jurist
- Texas Bar Criminal Justice Section Judge of the Year
- Dallas County Democratic Party Legacy Award
- Best Criminal Defense Lawyers in Dallas Peer Recognition
- D Magazine Best Criminal Defense Attorney Recognition
Select Boards and Commissions
- U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Science Advisory Board, appointed by Attorney General Loretta Lynch
- Texas Punishment Standards Commission, which rewrote the Sentencing Provisions of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure
- Judicial Advisory Council to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice
- Texas Bar District Six Grievance Committee
- City of Dallas Ethics Task Force, appointed by Mayor Ron Kirk, which rewrote the Rules of Ethics for Officials for the City of Dallas
- City of Dallas Task Force on Homelessness, including spearheading The Bridge homeless shelter
- Dallas Urban League Block Grant Board
- Unlocking DOORS, Inc. Board and Chair
- Promising Youth Alliance Board
- Phoenix House of Texas Board