Our Storytelling for Impact Program is a collaboration with people who carry the burden of court debt, called “legal financial obligations” or “LFOs” to share stories of trying to survive and thrive under such debt. LFOs are the costs, fees, fines, and victim restitution, plus 12% interest, that courts impose on criminal defendants at the time of sentencing. We elevate and amplify these stories via social media, a magazine, story cards, and photography exhibitions in public places throughout the state. Accompanying the exhibitions, LwC convenes community conversations – opportunities for the public to hear directly from the storytellers. The goal of this program is to: (1) challenge negative stereotypes about people with criminal histories, offering new narratives of dignity, resilience, and transformation; and (2) educate the public and policymakers about the impacts of this policy and the need for reform. Private collection agencies are authorized by law to add another 19% to 50%. Recent legal reforms have helped, but substantial relief from this debt for everyone remains largely inaccessible.
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