Washington citizens should support legal financial obligation (LFO) reform. LFOs trap many people and their families into cycles of poverty and debt. LFOs are financial penalties assessed as part of a criminal sentence, only a small portion of which is used for restitution. These fines carry a 12 percent interest rate, one of the highest in the nation, which accrues throughout incarceration.

Most people assigned LFOs have limited incomes and struggle to pay these fines after their incarceration. When this happens, people are often classified by the courts as “failing to pay,” and are then subject to sanctions that can include arrest, re-incarceration, driver’s license suspension and wage garnishment.

All of these penalties are primary barriers to accessing employment, housing and other services, which when denied or restricted, lead to increased rates of recidivism for Washingtonians already living on low incomes.

As a community we need to come together and find ways to eliminate the LFO interest rate of 12 percent and address alternatives to re-incarceration for failure to pay. Giving people the chance to re-enter society as contributing citizens can be vital for our state economy.

Elsie Garza

Cheney