Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parole Docket Roundup topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee on Parole issues multiple revocations and denials during May 21 hearings
Summary
The Louisiana Committee on Parole met May 21 and issued several revocations and denials across a multi-case docket; decisions included revocations for two offenders and denials for parole requests in multiple violent or high-risk cases. Several hearings featured family testimony and advocacy from the Louisiana Parole Project.
The Committee on Parole convened May 21 at Department of Corrections headquarters and by Zoom to consider a full docket of revocation and parole-review cases. Panel chair Carolyn Stapleton presided with board members Pete Freeman and Steve Prater. Over the day the panel issued a mix of revocations, continued one matter, and denied several parole requests.
Several hearings turned on supervision compliance and the violent nature of underlying offenses. The panel revoked an offender who identified himself on the record as Kennedy Johnson after probation-and-parole agents reported unsuccessful attempts to contact him at his certified residence and multiple supervision violations; the panel found violations of conditions 2, 3, 4 and 9 and voted to revoke. Pete Freeman, explaining his reasoning during deliberations, said the evidence supported revocation in that matter.
In contrast, the panel did not revoke John Martin’s parole after Martin and supporters described stable housing and employment prospects; Freeman recommended a work-release placement and all three panelists voted to continue Martin on supervision with a court-ordered no-contact condition. "My vote today is going to be to do not revoke, because he can't go to work, at least, with the pending charge," Freeman said during the discussion of Martin's case.
The panel denied parole for Caleb Scott, who sought early release on a five-year sentence for carnal knowledge of a juvenile. Family members and supporters described Scott’s programming and family support; prosecutors and the panel cited the seriousness of his record and prior related incidents in their reasons for denial.
A longer hearing on John Jones — a man whose supporters said had spent nearly 28 years in custody — featured direct advocacy from the Louisiana Parole Project and opposition from prosecutors. Carrie Myers of the Louisiana Parole Project urged the board to consider Jones’s programming and transitional supports; prosecutors stressed prior violent conduct and disciplinary write-ups. "He brought a gun and he used it," one prosecutor said when urging denial; the panel ultimately denied parole.
Other actions: Arna Savoy was found in violation after a positive drug screen and reports of weapons in a residence; the panel voted to revoke. A Lewis Ross hearing was continued until after the next court date because key witnesses had not appeared, and the panel explicitly rescheduled the revocation review rather than hold the offender pending on the board’s authority. Several hearings included family and community statements urging supervision with supports rather than incarceration.
Votes at a glance (summary of key docket outcomes): Kennedy Johnson (name in the record also appears as "Kennedy Jackson") — revocation (panel unanimous); John Martin — do not revoke, continue on supervision with no-contact condition (unanimous); Caleb Scott — parole denied (unanimous); John Jones (River Bend) — parole denied (unanimous); Arna Savoy — revocation (unanimous); Harvey — revocation (unanimous); Lewis Ross — continued pending court date.
The board’s reasoning varied by case but repeatedly cited (1) the nature and number of prior offenses and any in-custody disciplinary history, (2) whether pending charges limited safe release options, and (3) the availability of community supports or supervised alternatives such as work release. Several panel members emphasized programming completion as a positive factor while noting that disciplinary or pending matters could outweigh that progress. The panel closed its business after completing the scheduled docket and ordering the single continuance.
