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Juvenile lifer Jermaine Coates granted parole to join reentry program, with conditions
Summary
Jermaine Coates, convicted as a juvenile in a 1995 killing, was granted parole Sept. 18 and ordered to enter the Louisiana Parole Project residential reentry program for at least six months.
BATON ROUGE, La. — The Committee on Parole granted parole Sept. 18 for Jermaine Coates (DOC 366873), who was 15 at the time of the 1995 offense. The board voted unanimously to grant release with conditions including placement in the Louisiana Parole Project residential program for a minimum of six months and continued contact with the project for case management and support. Chair Carolyn Stapleton and Commissioners Jerry LeDoux and Chuck Chillis concurred in the decision.
Panel members and counsel referenced U.S. Supreme Court precedent distinguishing juvenile offenders and noted Coates's programming, GED attainment and support network. Carrie Myers of the Louisiana Parole Project told the panel the program would provide structured residential phases, social norms coaching and employment and mentoring supports. "We will be available to him ... for a minimum of at least one year of case management," Myers said.
Coates addressed the panel and described participation in transition programming, victim impact work and GED completion, saying he had changed since adolescence. Victim family members and others opposed release and described continuing trauma; the panel acknowledged their grief during deliberations. The board set release conditions including the residential stay in the Parole Project and required the parolee to maintain contact with project staff for significant life events. The panel recorded the unanimous grant and concluded the hearing.
