I approached my state legislator with a bleeding heart recommendation.

[Ilsa]

I know of a woman, disabled, non-violent offender parolee, in her forties, who lost her drivers license. She has been clean and sober for two+ years. Glowing PO reports. Prime example of rehabilitation. To get her license back, she'd have to pay something like $500 a month for three years. MAking near minimum wage, she can't afford that. She lives in the country with her parents who take her everywhere, including to work at 6am, AA meetings, etc. They are 66 and 70 years old. There is no public transportation where she lives.

Someone needs to fix this. She can't afford the payments. Eventually, she'll need to drive even though she would be breaking the law. Someone should be able to lessen her total fine to a reasonable level on the recommendation of her PO and a judge.

BTW, I don't know the law on this. I really don't know how it works. But the worst day this lady had in two years out of prison was when she realized she'd never get her license back again.

[reformedrethug]

1. Ok so if an exception is made for her

how are you going to prevent somebody else from trying the same thing?? Why can she not set up some sort of payment plan that will allow her to get her DL back so she can try to get a better job on the condition she misses a payment the deal gets reviewed with the chance of it being revoked??

[Ilsa]

2. Her payments were supposed to be about $500+ a month.

She only makes about that much a month.

I'm not trying to get a hardship exception for her. I am trying to help those people who are rehabilitated to get their licenses back without being stripped of every last bit of their income just becaise they are poor. They've already lost their dignity. I think frequent monitoring is a good idea. Make the license provisional.

Furthermore, I suspect there are thousands of peole out driving illegally because they cannot afford the fees. They have become criminals again because they have no transportation, especially people living in smaller cities and rural areas. (Our city of 65,000 got public buses only three years ago.) That's more than half the population in Texas. At least the system will pick up some payback if the fees are reasonable.

[zorahopkins]

3. What About Liability Insurance?

Even if you get the fine reduced to a more reasonable level, I would guess that your friend would still have an enormous bill for liaility insurance.

[Ilsa]

6. She would probably ride her parents' insurance for as long as

she could. But yes, she knows she has to deal with that as well. She's never wrecked or hit anyone when driving. She was hoping she could manage the insurance with a cheaper car and good driving record.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Rural public transportation would be the answer

Not just for her, but for others in rural areas who can't drive due to age or economic circumstances (they can't afford a car or insurance). This might be more likely to get support or at least a listen from your legislator.

[Ilsa]

5. I like that idea as well. And she would too. MAybe I should have gone that

route. Some people will drive illegally, but others will follow the law and take public trans.

[VP505]

7. So typical of

a parole system designed to provide nothing more than making it more difficult for offenders to reintegrate back into society. Its no wonder recidivism rates are so high, the system sets the offender up for for failure then wonders why they keep seeing the same faces coming back into the system over and over again. I don't know what the answer is for her but in the least she ought to be able to get some kind of limited license allowing her to drive to and from her work and any required meetings or appointments that she has to attend. Having to pay $500 a month for three years comes to $18,000.00, that seems to be an outrageous sum of money for a driving license, does that include some kind of restitution? My heart goes out for her, I hope she can somehow resolve her problem.