The State Parole Board denied parole for Steven Johnese, DOC 553621, after hearing victim-impact testimony and a presentation from the district attorney's victim-assistance coordinator detailing the breadth and severity of his offenses against children.

Johnese told the panel he had molested a 5-year-old and said he turned himself in because he "knew I done wrong." Pam Fruge, a victim-assistance coordinator for the 31st Judicial District Attorney's Office, told the board Johnese had confessed to molestation of multiple children, including grandchildren and a daughter, and urged denial of parole on public-safety grounds. Fruge cited clinical findings and research on the long-term effects of child sexual abuse when asking the board to deny parole; she also asked that, if the board considered release in the future, it relocate Johnese outside the parish.

The panel noted strong law-enforcement and victim opposition; the Static-99 risk tool was referenced in other hearings as a risk measure, and the board recorded that Johnese had completed several treatment phases and had certificates for various classes. Despite treatment completion claims, the panel voted to deny parole, citing the severity and duration of the alleged predatory behavior and the risk to children.

Decision: parole denied. The panel directed that any future consideration include relocation outside the parish if release were deemed appropriate by the board in the future.