Christi Cheramie, a former Parole Project client, was one of the more than 300 Louisiana juvenile lifers. She was convicted at age 16 and sentenced to life in prison before the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated mandatory life without parole for children saying that they must be given a meaningful opportunity for release.
While at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women, Christi developed a reputation for learning and leadership. She focused on education and personal development, earning six distinct horticulture certifications, including landscape contractor, before becoming a horticulture tutor/instructor and giving back to help others.
She was granted parole in January 2019 after serving 25 years. Christi completed Parole Project’s residential intensive reintegration program before she began working for one of the largest plant and landscape nurseries in Baton Rouge. She joined Parole Project in August 2019 as a reentry specialist working with our clients to help them navigate the process of life after prison.
Christi sees her incarceration experience as a life-refining process and is grateful to be in a position to be a symbol of hope and redemption to those who are still incarcerated.