“Protecting communities, honoring victims, restoring lives”
Parole in Louisiana allows a person to finish their sentence while under the supervision of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Division of Probation and Parole.
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Sheryl Ranatza retired from the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections in 2011 after more than 30 years of service. She held various management roles throughout the Department, including Deputy Warden for Operations at Louisiana State Penitentiary. At the time of her retirement, she was the Deputy Secretary of DPS&C. Sheryl Ranatza was the first woman in Louisiana to become a Certified Corrections Executive by the American Correctional Association and is a member of several corrections-related organizations. She has served as Chairman of the Board since 2012.
Steve Prator spent 19 years with the Shreveport Police Department, working in patrol, detectives, and narcotics before becoming chief of police, a role he held for over eight years. He was then elected Sheriff of Caddo Parish and served six terms. During that time, he participated in the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and was the Chairman of the Police Officer Standards and Training Council. Mr. Prator is a graduate of LSU-Shreveport and the FBI National Executive Institute. He is also a proud member of the Louisiana Law Enforcement Hall of Fame.
Pete Fremin is the former Director of Probation and Parole at the Department of Public Safety & Corrections and has 35 years of experience in Louisiana’s state government. He previously served as President of the Louisiana Probation and Parole Association, a State Representative for the Southern States Correctional Association, and the Interstate Compact Commissioner for Louisiana. Mr. Fremin is also a LSU alumnus and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1983.
Chucky Tillis graduated from Southern University in Baton Rouge and spent over 30 years as President of Oilfield and Plant Maintenance, Inc. For the last 15 years, he has dedicated himself to prison ministry. His work serving and ministering to inmates at Louisiana State Penitentiary demonstrates a deep understanding of the challenges faced by incarcerated individuals. He has also served as a director at the Louisiana Leadership Institute, shaping young minds in the Greater Baton Rouge area.
Carolyn Stapleton retired from the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office in 2014 after more than 20 years of experience in Crime Victim Assistance Services. During her time as the director of the EBR Crime Victims Assistance Division, she received the National Sheriff’s Association’s Award for Crime Victims Services and the National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Community Awareness Grant. Since retiring, Ms. Stapleton has held various roles in victims’ services, including a position with the 16th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. She also served on the Crime Victims Reparation Board, representing the 6th Congressional District under the administrations of Governor Bobby Jindal and Governor John Bel Edwards.
Jerrie LeDoux is returning to the Committee on Parole after serving five years under a previous administration. She took advantage of multiple Association of Parole Authority International training events. During her time on the Board, she earned her M.S. in Communication from the University of Louisiana Lafayette, where she wrote her qualitative thesis on Stakeholder Theory in Medical Parole Reform. Recently, she has served seven years as a congressional liaison for the United States House of Representatives speaker.
Danny Barras is a former Probation and Parole Supervisor with 37½ years of experience in the field. He started his career with Probation and Parole in 1986 as a field agent and worked as a specialist and supervisor until his retirement in 2018. Previously, he served as President, Vice President, Sergeant-at-Arms, Board Member, and Legislative Liaison of the Louisiana Probation & Parole Officers Association. Mr. Barras is also an alumnus of the University of Southwestern Louisiana and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management in 1983.
