Your legislator is key to criminal justice reform

We are writing you because one of your state legislators (see list below) is on the joint House-Senate committee writing the budget and is hence key to whether reform of Legal Financial Obligations (LFOs) for released prisoners is passed this year. It would be very helpful if you could contact your state legislator listed below in support of a bill as close as possible to HB 1390, which passed 97-0 in the House, and that iscomprehensive and not limited to prioritizing victims’ restitution.

• LFOs refer to restitution, fines, public defender costs, incarceration costs, drug treatment, etc.
• Provisions of HB 1390: (1) Accrual of interest (now 12%) on the non-restitution portion is eliminated in the future, and retroactively upon motion of the offender, (2) A court must seriously consider ability to pay before imposing non-restitution LFOs, and (3) Payments go to restitution as highest priority.
• Relief from LFOs would help released prisoners reconstruct their lives, reduce recidivism, and thus enhance public safety.

Thank you! FCWPP Criminal Justice Working Group

Senator Ranker, in the 40th district, although not on the budget committee, is also key to the negotiation because of his focus on restitution: