Committee Grants Parole to Jeffrey Hawkins; Transition via Parole Project Planned

The Louisiana Committee on Parole voted to grant parole to Jeffrey Hawkins and release him through a Parole Project transitional plan after reviewing his institutional record, programming and family support.

Jeffrey Hawkins, serving a commuted life term with parole eligibility after decades of custody, told the panel he has worked to rehabilitate himself, holding steady jobs and participating in numerous programs. Hawkins’ supporters included family members who described housing, employment prospects and long-term support. Keri Myers of the Louisiana Parole Project said the program would provide transitional housing, employment assistance and long-term mentoring; the project also noted it could assist with interstate transfer if needed.

Panel members asked Hawkins about victim-awareness programming and his completion timeline; Hawkins said he was enrolled in the six-month victim-awareness course beginning in September and described what he had learned about valuing life and understanding victim impact. Institutional staff and case workers described Hawkins’ long-term trustee status, nearly three decades without major disciplinary infractions and his work as a tractor-trailer driver for prison enterprises.

The panel recorded affirmative votes to grant parole with conditions: release to the Parole Project transition plan for at least one year; completion of victim-awareness programming; no contact with the victim’s family; and restrictions on travel to specific parishes. Panel members additionally encouraged Hawkins to participate in financial-literacy and community-service activities aimed at at-risk youth. The committee said it would support an eventual interstate compact transfer to live with family in Georgia if approved.

Hawkins will be supervised under standard parole conditions and the Parole Project will coordinate immediate transitional services and employment assistance.