Parole panel grants release to Kendra Howard with education, program and curfew conditions

The Louisiana Committee on Parole voted June 11, 2025, to grant parole to Kendra Howard provided she complete specified pre-release programming and comply with follow-up conditions.

At the hearing chaired by Cheryl Renacci at Baton Rouge headquarters, Howard told the panel she had served about 9½ years of a 30-year sentence for a 2017 possession-with-intent-to-distribute conviction and said she had spent her time in custody working on education and behavior programs. Warden Brent Thompson described Howard’s record in custody favorably: “he hadn't had a write up in, approximately 3 years,” Thompson told the panel, and recommended the facility’s Boys to Men program and completion of a GED.

Why it matters: The panel credited Howard’s institutional programming and conduct and the availability of family support and employment plans. Panel member Carolyn Stapleton led the questioning and asked about program completion and remaining GED subjects; Howard said she had completed most GED subjects and had one remaining. The board set conditions: completion of the six-month Boys to Men program, working to finish the GED, a nightly curfew for the first year (10 p.m. to 6 a.m., waivable if work requires it) and outpatient substance-abuse follow-up as recommended by providers.

Panel votes and instructions: Stapleton voted first to grant with conditions; Danny Barra added the curfew and substantive counseling condition; Cheryl Renacci concurred and emphasized the need to obtain the GED. The board warned Howard that violation of conditions could trigger significant consequences under her sentence.

Next steps: The panel will notify Howard of the specific special conditions and provide instructions on completing required programming. The board noted she would be able to reapply if a later issue arose and urged her to finish the GED and program work while in custody.