Public Comments for: HB16 - Community service work in lieu of payment of fines and costs; work performed while incarcerated.
We need better public defenders that don’t not mind fighting for client then getting them take a plea deal young men that’s first time offenders getting sent to prison for years and there fines be so high when they out it be hard to get a job pay high fines and get on they feet they need programs to bring love ones homes to have a second chance program some of this young men went in at a young age and changed there life around and are amazing citizen but will never get a chance to show there improvement and why was parole taken away and why isn’t house arrest a opition for inmates to come home when they can be monitored by a system then sit behind bars when most times they have lack of staff to operate prison and staff are over worked we need a change
I am Scott E. Peyton, Director of Government Affairs at Prison Fellowship, and I am writing to express Prison Fellowship’s support of HB 16. HB16 requires courts to allow individuals to earn credits toward fines and court costs through community service or work performed while incarcerated. It changes community service from a discretionary option to a guaranteed alternative and applies to work performed on or after July 2020. We believe this bill reflects sound criminal justice policy that promotes accountability, public safety, successful reentry efforts, and human dignity.
Something’s should have been looked into before and changed way before now.
My name is Seychell Williams, and I am the Founder and CEO of The Ruby Grant Project, a re-entry reform initiative dedicated to transforming the way returning citizens are supported as they transition back into their communities. I also serve as a Manager at Virginia Correctional Enterprises, where I lead workforce development, mentorship, and re-entry preparation for individuals preparing to return home or serving their sentence productively. Please read the following attachment regarding my support of bill HB16. Thank You
I support this bill. Out of my 15 years I’ve worked approximately 13.5 years doing jobs that people in the community get paid minimum wage and more for while I get paid 45c to do so. This work helps the prison community, DOC, and some jobs even help the outside community. We’re not asking to put the money in our pockets but for our work to have more meaning (working 14-16 hour days).
This bill is very important because this bill gives a man or woman the chance to work off fines that will have them stressing to pay after being set free - which may or may not result in more bad decisions because they feel as if they can’t get ahead. Having unpaid fines prohibits some progression moving forward, like trying to obtain a drivers license, buy, credit building, things that are needed to help a successful person stay successful.
This is personally one of the bills I support the most. One of the biggest barriers for guys to transition out of probation and parole is the fact that they have outstanding fines but have spent years working for anywhere between 1 to 3 hours a day just to make a dollar. If you’re not going to pay the population a wage proportionate to the increases in prices for items we’re charged for, then that work should at least count towards paying off those fines. The incarcerated populations’ work sustains the operations of the Department of Corrections just as much as any officer, counselor, or upper administration. On a daily basis, the DOC will not pay citizens at least a minimum wage to maintain the work handled by inmates.
Most men and women who have to pay fines cannot find work . There given a list of companies who supposedly hire felons but they do not hire they except the application but do not hire so these people have no way to actually pay money . Making community service work help pay is an excellent idea the only problem with that is finding companies who will allow you to do it . So if they broden the community services work to non profits and churches maybe even parks and rec it would give multiple choices and could be compketed successful
It is time to enact ong overdue reform in our prisons, jails, and courts.
I am Scott E. Peyton, Director of Government Affairs at Prison Fellowship, and I am writing to express Prison Fellowship’s support of HB 16 and HB 17. Prison Fellowship believes these measures promote accountability, public safety, and successful reentry, while upholding human dignity and using taxpayer resources wisely. We respectfully ask the committee to vote in favor of HB16 and HB17.