Even after leaving prison, most ex-offenders still carry a ball and chain: debt.
About 650,000 prisoners walk out the jailhouse doors each year. Most owe money to a variety of creditors, and their offender status limits their means to repay.
"Repaying Debt," a 2007 report by the Council of State Governments' Justice Center, found that "people released from prisons and jails typically must make payments to a host of agencies, including probation departments, courts and child support enforcement offices." Three-fourths of those owing child support, restitution and supervision fees have difficulty paying these debts.
Legal liabilities are not all the formerly incarcerated usually face. The report acknowledges but doesn't measure other balances "commonly owed but not explicitly part of a sentence imposed by a criminal court, such as transportation and housing payments or consumer debt."
Larry Lawton Founder of Reality Check Program said "They are already so behind, so give up and say 'forget it, I can't pay this debt back.' They get bitter ... They go back to crime."
This is but one obstacle formerly incarcerated face, the Sentencing Project, (url is http://www.sentencingproject.org/) a national organization that works on criminal justice issues, estimates that 5.3 million Americans—one in 41 adults—have lost their voting rights because of a felony conviction. And while each state has its own laws regarding the restoration of a felon’s civil rights, Virginia has one of the harshest sets of laws that make restoring your civil rights after a felony conviction a slog through a bureaucratic wasteland.
Civil rights include the right to vote, hold public office, serve on a jury and serve as a notary public. They do not include the right to possess a firearm.
Virginia and Kentucky are the only two states that do not automatically restore convicted felons’ civil rights. Most states restore these rights upon the completion of a prison sentence, probation or parole. In Virginia, felons convicted of a nonviolent offense must wait three years after completing all court obligations—sentencing, fines and probation—then file an application for the restoration of rights to the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
If your conviction is for a violent offense —or a drug manufacturing or distribution offense—the process is much more difficult, and still the penalties continue.
I was at Movie Gallery the other day, as I was waiting in line the lady before me was asked for id, the only ID she had was her ex-felon card.
Felons get issued CARDS they MUST carry around, even after they have served their time for their crime.
It got me to thinking..is it fair how society discriminates against ex felons? If your feeling out an application you have to list if you've ever been convicted of a felony. If you list yes..then there is a mighty good chance you wont get the job. Someone I knew was also just fire from movie gallery because even though he was hired with a known felony..once corporate ran a background check..they found out about it and he was fired even though he had been already working there for 3 months. His felony was committed 10 years ago, and he served his time.. why should he still be punished for it today
why should any criminal not be given the same rights as someone AFTER they have SERVED THEIR TIME. That the whole reason for prison/probation/fines right? To pay for your crime. Should you have to pay for a stupid mistake for the rest of your life? Especially one committed when in college or younger?
Laws passed by Illinois politicians, other state legislatures and federal legislators have made seeking a fresh start harder. A few examples:
· In the land of Lincoln, ex-felons were barred from getting licenses to work as barbers or cosmetologists and other Illinois professions. Some of the restrictions were changed last year, but significant barriers remain.
· In Florida and seven other states felons lose the right to vote permanently. One in 4 Black men in Florida cannot vote because of felony convictions.
· Federal law prohibits felony drug offenders from receiving public aid, public housing and grants to go college.
· Forty-two states are enforcing a lifetime welfare ban for federal felony convictions for drug use or sales in full or in part. Twenty-two states enacted the ban without any modification, such as reinstatement after one-year of ineligibility, or passing regular drug tests.
Today I'm very lucky to have a courageous guest brave enough to speak of this exact unspoken issue from personal experience.
31 years ago, a young 19 yr old Steve Kirkland living in the heart of Dixie land in Mississippi did a stupid thing, like most 19 yrs old but this 19 yr old 31 yrs late is still paying. Steve was convicted of grand larceny and he doesn't deny he was young and made mistakes but why should he and his family continue to pay? Steve hasn't been in a bit of trouble since that day and even now, well I think maybe Steve would be better to talk about this and lucky for Unspoken Issues Steve came and told his story. (download the podcast of this interview here)
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