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Parole committee grants medical parole for inmate with terminal pancreatic cancer
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Summary
The Committee on Parole voted Feb. 3 to grant medical parole to Lonnie McCray, who is terminally ill with pancreatic cancer, contingent on placement at an approved medical facility; staff said McCray is wheelchair‑bound and requires total care.
The Committee on Parole voted Feb. 3 to grant medical parole to Lonnie McCray (DOC 446055), a prisoner diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, the board chair said.
Annie McKnight, a nurse at Raymond Laborde Correctional Center, told the committee McCray’s condition has declined rapidly and that he is "total care," needs help transferring and turning in bed, and is now wheelchair‑bound. McKnight said his life expectancy is less than a year and that he has a poor prognosis.
Chair Cheryl Renata said the facility’s recommendation and the medical evidence presented warranted action. Renata said the board’s vote would release McCray to a medical facility once an appropriate placement accepts him; committee members indicated Harmony House in Shreveport had previously accepted him and staff would re‑submit that placement if parole is granted.
The board’s decision is contingent on an accepting medical provider; Renata noted the facility video submitted with the packet was helpful to the committee’s review. The board voted unanimously to grant medical parole to a medical facility once placement is secured.
Next steps are administrative: corrections staff will coordinate placement with Harmony House or another approved medical provider and notify the board when an acceptance is confirmed. The parole will take effect according to standard DOC and facility intake procedures once McCray is accepted.
This matter arose during the committee’s remote docket from Raymond Laborde Correctional Center on Feb. 3, 2026.
