WHEN PAROLE PROJECT BEGAN PROVIDING CLIENTS WITH REPRESENTATION at parole and clemency hearings in 2017, we did so utilizing the combined resources of LSU Law Center’s Parole and Reentry Clinic and volunteer attorneys who donated their time and talents.
There were far fewer clients, with available representation more often than not keeping pace with the number and frequency of parole and clemency hearings. That was then. In the past few years our effectiveness as an advocacy organization, combined with justice reforms that led to new parole and resentencing opportunities, began to challenge our capacity to provide representation. The LSU clinic operated only during fall and spring semesters, and volunteer attorneys were limited by their own caseloads.
This is now. Meet our legal team of motivated and dedicated attorneys—each bringing a unique set of skills to Parole Project. Jill Pasquarella joined the organization in November 2021 as our legal director. She has spent much of her career working on juvenile life without parole issues. Jasmine Cole started as a staff attorney in January. Her enthusium is contagious. Jane Hogan, an experienced parole and post-conviction attorney, has shifted her role to head the Forgotten Men Initiative working to bring home Louisiana’s longest serving prisoners. Our legal team is not only enhancing Parole Project’s ability to make a difference in our clients’ lives, they are helping to bring about a more fair and equitable justice system.
