Pardon board recommends commutation for Desmond Kennedy, citing youth outreach work

The Louisiana Pardon Board on Oct. 30 recommended commuting the sentence of Desmond ("Dez") Kennedy, who was convicted in Lafourche Parish in February 2014 for a home invasion and received a 20-year sentence. The board heard from Kennedy, Captain Patrick Washington and multiple Crime Stoppers coordinators about Kennedy’s involvement in the Beyond Bars program, a youth outreach effort that brings incarcerated men to speak to students.

Kennedy told the board he took anger-management classes, facilitated programs inside the facility and worked with the Crime Stoppers initiative to give youth “a message of what one mistake can do to change your life.” His wife and several Crime Stoppers leaders described his role in school presentations and said the program had drawn positive feedback at a recent national conference in New Orleans.

Captain Patrick Washington and Crime Stoppers coordinators Don Coppola and Johnny Dunham described Kennedy’s work as a “positive role model” and urged the board to consider his community impact. Coppola said the Beyond Bars sessions have been in demand by schools across the region; Dunham said Kennedy’s testimony had a strong effect on students who put down their phones to listen.

Board members asked Kennedy about prior offenses, drug involvement and the effect on victims. Kennedy apologized directly to the victims and said he had taken “every class possible” and worked to change his behavior.

After discussion, the chair announced that the recommendation to commute Kennedy’s sentence to immediate parole eligibility had the support of a majority of the board; the chair stated the applicant received four votes in favor. The board will forward the recommendation to the governor for consideration.

The board’s action is a recommendation to the governor; it does not itself change Kennedy’s sentence until the governor acts.