Living with Conviction:

Sentenced to Debt for Life in Washington State

We are at Photoville in NYC!

September 13, 2018

If you are in New York this weekend or next, please stop by Photoville’s Container #58, where Living with Conviction is part of Blue Earth Alliance’s grouop exhibit!

Photoville Container #58, Blue Earth Alliance-sponsored projects, including Living with Conviction!

Same Sky Photo on Instagram

_Thank you_ to #artswa, the Washington State Arts Commission, #atj2019 the organizers of the Access to Justice conference, Living with Conviction participants for their courage and trust, @abbosch99 for our teamwork,@marcia_glover for her extraordinary support, all those who joined us for the panel discussion, and all those who stopped by our exhibit to learn about the impacts of LFOs! #visualizejustice #debtfreejustice

Huge thank you to the Washington State Arts Commission for supporting Living with Conviction’s participation at the annual state access to justice conference!!! Our exhibit is up through Sunday and we had an awesome panel discussion!!! #artswa #gratitude #visualizejustice #debtfreejustice

#Repost @everydayincarceration with @get_repost
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“I had a warrant out for my arrest -- for LFOs that I didn't even know I had,” says Tracy.
Born to two heroin addicts who also sold drugs, Traci's childhood was defined by uncertainty and trauma. As a child, she hid with her brothers as police raided their home looking for her parents. In her teens, she moved from foster home to foster home. In her late teens, she started selling heroin to support herself.
Following a conviction, for which she served no time, Traci was arrested and spent 58 days in jail for failure to pay her LFOs. No judge. No lawyer. At that time, she was denied access to counsel because her failure to pay was considered violation of her parole. Those 58 days in jail caused her to lose her section 8 housing and custody of her two children. “I just slipped right back into addiction for the next seven or eight years,” she said. “I didn't know what else to do.” Today, Traci dedicates her life to serving others, working three jobs. She pays $25 each month towards her LFOs. Although she was sentenced to pay $800 in LFOs, due to the interest, she now owes $3,544.

In June 2018, Washington’s LFO laws were improved. The legislature ended the imposition of the 12 percent interest for all new convictions, excluding victim restitution. But the new law is not retroactive. Accrued debt, including everyone’s debt highlighted in Living with Conviction, remains a legal obligation enforceable by arrest. They can request the court to waive accrued interest, but that is an involved process and they are not entitled to public defenders.
In partnership with formerly incarcerated individuals, “Living with Conviction” captures and shares the struggle to survive and thrive under court-imposed costs, fees, fines, and victim restitution.
Photo by Deborah Espinosa @sameskyphoto
With sponsorship from @blueearthphoto

#everydayincarceration #everydayeverywhere #prisonphotography #massincarceration #legacyofmassincarceration #prison #washingtonstate #LFO #legalfinancialobligations #debt #parole #family #breakthecycle #VisualizeJustice #Sentenced2Debt4Life
#Justice4All #LFOreform #cjreform
#criminaljusticereform

#Repost @everydayincarceration with @get_repost
・・・
“I did the crimes and I did the time and I'm still paying for it 16 years later,” says Sabrina “They could arrest me. I live in fear of it. But I just don't have the money.”⠀⠀
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Sabrina and her husband have six children and one baby girl on the way. As a child and into her teens, several men in her mother's life emotionally, physically, and sexually abused Sabrina. She moved from one relative’s home to another. At 17, she started using drugs, which eventually led to her conviction. ⠀⠀
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Sabrina pled guilty to first-degree assault and was sentenced to 112 months and approximately $5,000 in LFOs. By the time she got out of prison, that sum had increased to $12,000. Today she owes approximately $39,000. ⠀⠀
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"Having $39,000 in fines doesn't affect somebody who doesn't care,” says Sabrina. But for Sabrina, who does, it’s been debilitating. She owes more in LFOs than in student loans. “Can't buy a house, can't help send their children to college, can't do more than get by,” she says.⠀⠀
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She recently started making $200 monthly payments towards her LFOs, in addition to taking care of her children and paying her own college tuition. ⠀⠀
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In partnership with formerly incarcerated individuals, “Living with Conviction” captures and shares the struggle to survive and thrive under court-imposed costs, fees, fines, and victim restitution. ⠀⠀
⠀⠀
Photo by Deborah Espinosa @sameskyphoto ⠀⠀
With sponsorship from @blueearthphoto⠀⠀
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#everydayincarceration #everydayeverywhere #prisonphotography #massincarceration #legacyofmassincarceration #prison #washingtonstate #LFO #legalfinancialobligations #debt #parole #family #breakthecycle #VisualizeJustice #Sentenced2Debt4Life ⠀⠀
#Justice4All #LFOreform #cjreform⠀⠀
#criminaljusticereform ⠀⠀

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