Governor Abigail Spanberger is considering a bill that would help people getting out of prison avoid crippling debt.
Humanization Project co-founder Taj Mahon-Haft says people who are incarcerated often feel like getting out of prison seems like the end. But he says it's just the beginning, and it's often one that’s slammed with debt from the court system. Not restitution, but a variety of fines and fees that courts assess for everything from having a jury trial to processing paperwork.
"What that leads to is a greater likelihood that you're going to feel the need to do something illegal to pay that debt to avoid being violated and potentially getting in trouble and having to stay either under supervision or reincarcerated," Mahon-Haft says. "It will also lead to predatory lenders being an option that feels like the only thing available, which creates a cycle that impacts not just the individual coming home but their families."
That's why he’s excited about a bill now on the governor's desk that would limit the statute of limitations on that debt, which is currently 60 years in Circuit Court and 30 years in General District Court. The bill would limit all that debt to 10 years.
"We have other ways that we can fund our criminal legal system, not off the backs of those who have the least," says Kami Blatt at the Commonwealth Institute. "And relying on folks to commit crimes and continue getting entrenched in the system to fund the system. We need to find other revenue sources in Virginia to fund our courts."
The previous governor vetoed a similar bill, but the current governor has until April 13th to take action on this one.
