Community Voices: Christopher Blackwell

The burden of excessive LFOs often serves only one purpose for those expected to shoulder them — a heavy weight pulling them to the bottom of a large body of water.  

The majority of people — including myself — who are incarcerated in the United States are already dealing with extreme poverty and the struggles that come with that. As are many of our loved ones. Having exceptionally high LFO debt owed to the state with predatory interest rates can become the very thing that never allows an individual to move on from a mistake made long ago. It becomes a tool of control by the state and Department of Corrections to keep us trapped within a system that often can feel inescapable. 

Over my 21 years of incarceration, I've witnessed LFOs be weaponized against incarcerated people and our loved ones time and time again. Some examples of this are: resentencing and clemency hearings where LFOs are so high from the accrued interest that they became impossible to pay off, leading to a denial of a person’s clemency petition — regardless of them not being a threat to reenter society through the work they have accomplished on the inside. Or LFO deductions taken from money sent in by family, making it impossible to support a loved one on the inside [These deductions are no longer allowed, as of July 2023]. Leaving that person to go without basic necessities like hygiene products, as those are not provided by the state without accruing more debt. And upon release, LFOs can be the very burden that keeps a person tied to the carceral system and from moving on with rebuilding their life. In some cases, not paying your LFOs can lead to being sent back to prison no matter what the reason was that you missed the payment: rent, transportation, medical insurance, or food to survive.

Some of us have been lucky enough to find ways to reduce or pay off our LFOs, but that isn't the case for the majority of the incarcerated population. And if we truly want safer communities and people to succeed upon their release, we shouldn't continue to place them in a position of having to pay, at times, an impossible debt. If a person was indigent at the start, how has that changed after years or decades of incarceration? We need to place people back into our communities with support and resources, not the burden of debt.

Christopher Blackwell, 43, is an award-winning journalist currently incarcerated in Washington, serving a 45-year prison sentence. He is the cofounder and executive director of Look2Justice, a grassroots organization of system-impacted organizers working to cultivate justice, fairness, and accountability in Washington State's criminal legal system through research, public education, and advocacy that leads with racial equity. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Huffington Post, and many more. You can read more of his work at: www.christopher-blackwell.com or follow him on X @chriswblackwell.

We are Hiring a Navigator!

Living with Conviction (LwC) seeks one part-time Legal Empowerment Navigator to join our team, equipping and empowering incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals to understand and exercise their post-conviction rights, in partnership with attorneys. 

This is a nine-month contract position, 25 hours per week in the LwC Seattle office, with the possibility of becoming full-time based on additional funding. The first 45 days of this position is probationary for both the Navigator and LwC to figure out if this is a mutually good fit. The reason is because this position requires Navigators to become very familiar with the law to help others. We have found that it’s not for everyone. 

LwC is a statewide nonprofit organization based in Seattle, Washington that works to secure economic and racial justice with and for marginalized communities, especially formerly incarcerated individuals, through community-driven research, storytelling, and legal empowerment strategies.

LwC’s post-conviction Legal Empowerment Program, grounded in justice-impacted communities, helps people know and claim their post-conviction rights, particularly to request reductions in their court-imposed legal financial obligations (LFOs). LwC also works in service of the statewide effort to realize relief under the Washington State Supreme Court’s State v. Blake decision, for violation of the constitutional rights of hundreds of thousands of people, disproportionately people of color.

Responsibilities

  • Attend regular team meetings and trainings, as scheduled 

  • Share responsibilities for monitoring LwC’s help line, email, and Securus account

  • Conduct case research in superior court databases 

  • Assist people with LFOs through the Justice in Motion Web App and via paper-based trainings in prisons

  • Assist people with navigating the State v. Blake vacate process to get their unconstitutional convictions vacated paid costs refunded 

  • Assist people through other online guided interviews, as determined by LwC   

  • Represent LwC at community events for outreach, education, and advocacy 

  • Assist with document preparation and retention

  • File and serve documents in nearby counties

  • Related tasks, as assigned

Qualifications

  • Kind and communicative

  • Previously incarcerated in a Washington state prison and at least two years post-release from community custody with verifiable work history

  • Proficient in administrative tasks, such as writing emails, word processing, spreadsheets, and record keeping

  • Detail oriented

  • Professional phone etiquette and strong communication skills

  • Proficiency in Google Workspace (Google Calendar, Docs, Sheets, etc.) (or Microsoft Office) and willingness to learn new software applications

  • Be willing and able to go into Washington State prisons to jointly train incarcerated individuals on their LFO and related rights

  • Ability to prioritize multiple tasks effectively

  • Self-starter, desire to collaborate with colleagues, team player

  • High school diploma or GED 

  • Able to periodically travel with team overnight

Preferred but not required:

  • Experience working in a legal office

  • Fluency in Spanish

  • Bachelor’s Degree

We have an organizational, anti-racist commitment to cultivate a practice of belonging in the work we do and the work environment we create. Team members are expected to honor this commitment and approach their role with a desire to learn and grow in this area.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or criminal history.

To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume by February 27, 2024 via email to livingwithconvictionWA@gmail.com. Applications that do not include both cover letter and resume will not be considered.

No phone calls, please.

We are in State of the Judiciary 2024!

Thank you so much to the Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts’ Blake Refund Bureau for including Living with Conviction as a partner helping people navigate the process for getting their constitutional rights recognized under the Washington State Supreme Court’s decision State v. Blake. It is a privilege.

Check out the just released State of the Judiciary 2024 for the write-up on the Blake Refund Bureau, pages 10 and 11.

Give us a call if you think you or a loved one may be impacted by State v. Blake, which held that Washington’s drug possession statute is unconstitutional and all convictions under that statute unconstitutional and void. ~ LwC