Raise for ALL teachers including early childhood educators.”
Felony laws hold a lot of people back that have made mistakes and changed their lives.”
Reformation over incarceration”
Community involvement with the youth.”
Stop the Stereotyping/Marginalizing”
Your criminal history shouldn't hold you back from getting a corporate job.”
Stabilize housing: making it affordable and accessible for everyone.”
Give convicted felons a true second chance”
I’m really trying to make a change in my life. It’s hard when you feel like nobody has your back. Nonetheless, I continue to persevere.”
It's terrible and not fair.”
Addiction treatment and public transportation would go a long way”
Tickets shouldn't pay salaries or fix roads...This is greed.”
Establish a homeless shelter to included a centralized support center for mental health, substance abuse treatment and living skills training.”
I was told I would have to go to jail if I couldn't afford to pay.”
Empathy training for police”
Local food banks and haircuts for the homeless”
End private prison.”
Making change in the community.”
[Had] an unpaid parking ticket that ended up being a FTA because my warrant sat on the desk (6 months) in the clerks office instead of being served in a timely manner.”
Often times we get the short end of the stick and financially we can’t get out. Sometime financial matters drive the person to do what they did.”
Change the laws to expunge a person record once he/she has served their sentences; which will help them get jobs, housing, and give them a right to vote as normal citizens.”
Police brutality should be defined and held punishable by law.”
I have paid all fees while incarcerated and my tickets but I am still paying parole fees and I am always behind.”
Allocate more money for education, especially for the students that are struggling or at risk of dropping out to try and help them to receive their education. Dropping out will put them at a high risk of future criminal behavior.”
More community centers.”
I would decriminalize all non violent drug charges. I would force law enforcement to have up to date factual knowledge on drug use and not propaganda/religiously fueled bias toward people who use.”
Create numerous programs within T.D.O.C. that would give inmates the incentives to earn credits to truly lower their sentences.”
Bail is not necessary and it unfairly incarcerates the poor for non violence.”
Giving families help for basic needs.”
Reaching more youth after school with hands on learning to prevent generational poverty.”
There should be better transportation for the poor.”
It makes me furious.”
Give people second chances.”
Legalize marijuana.”
Get rid of court ordered mediation of medical debt.”
End money bail & pre trial detention.”
I think after a while they should look over old cases for a review for life serving.”
Change fifteenth amendment to outlaw slavery in all cases, even as punishment for crime.”
If I can help with anything, I am more than willing.”
Restore families broken through economic and judicial problems.”
There’s is no creative space for youth or the elderly, and a recreational and educational space would be so beneficial.”
Decriminalize poverty.”
[Bail is] too high.”
I don't feel like it's fair to punish a persons because they are poor.”
It is unfair.”
Stop Incarcerating Mental Health Patients.”
Justice within the justice system.”
I would abolish prisons and create rehabilitation centers for those society failed.”
Fees should not accrue during incarceration.”
Everyone needs to be able to vote.”
Not enough mental help for free.”
It's a way of criminalizing poverty, and stifling those who classify as working poor.”
[I'm] interested in making change in the community.”
It’s a grossly inequitable system.”
You cannot financially support while in jail, but parents also cannot be there when needed which creates emotional fears and dysfunction.”
Restore voting rights to felons.”
I believe a community service possibly with Juveniles would help! Seeing what path they are going down might give adults a reality check.”
I have a felony conviction and don't know how to get my voting rights back.”
Freedom should not be based on financial means.”
I'm ready to make a difference.”
Restrict incarceration for only violent crimes against people.”
Decriminalization of marijuana.”
I would change the inequality among the education systems in poverty filled neighbors. The better those in poverty are educated the more they progress.”
Apply restorative justice standards instead of retributive justice.”
Bail should not be so high for simple charges.”
There should be leadership training opportunities for people who have served their time.”
Eliminate the racism! ...AND eliminate for-profit prisons. AND make sentences rehabilitative/ restorative instead of punitive, and eliminate mandatory minimums for most convictions.”
Get more people of color involved in the process of change by engaging in the social, economic, and political process”
End mass incarceration. I think the entire system needs to be dismantled.”
I would have it be a not-for-profit system with drug addiction handled by rehabilitation facilities.”
Transform the economy to that of solidarity economy - people powered democratically planned and for everyone.”
No bail, fine or fees for victimless crimes.”
[I'm] determined to make a difference.”
I've gotten 3 different driving while suspended tickets. Finally I had to stop driving on fear of getting it revoked. Now I have to stay home while my fiancé works to support us because I don't have a way to get to work.”
Decriminalize poverty, homelessness, and addiction.”
I believe that every person despite their mistakes, social, or economic status deserves the right to a better life.”
I want to break the stigmas that have surrounded the mentally ill for so long.”
[Bail] is a money racket.”
The legal system are the true sharks! The system is beyond corrupt and immoral!”
Politics and money has cost innocent people their lives in this community.”
It is unfair.”
[Bail] took food off their table and they could not pay they bills.”
All people [should] vote no matter what the circumstances are.”
Criminals who served their times should be able to vote.”
Need more things for children and homeless.”
[Bail] was really stressful for all of us both times. It was horrible the second time because I was kept away from my pregnant partner.”
I have a felony conviction and don't know how to get my voting rights back.”
It is unfair.”
[I'm] making change in the community.”
They don't give anyone a fair chance.”
Suspended license.”
[Bail] should be refunded if you are not found guilty.”
I don't know what would have happened if I could not afford to pay.”
End civil asset forfeiture.”
Dismantle all systems of oppression.”
Reduce acts of prejudice by police force.”
[Bail] caused a financial strain on our family and we had to use a family member's house as collateral.”
Affordable housing!”
Fuck bail! It's ransom!”
Poverty becomes a crime only when people/government/agencies/law enforcement CAPITALIZE off of it! Do NOT criminalize poverty!”
I am committed to creating social change.”
Make the prison system not for-profit.”
We were damaged [by bail] and haven't recovered.”
[Fees] are humiliating and don't work. If someone can't pay, they just can't.”
Medicare for all.”
No one should lose the right to vote.”
Improve public transport so people can get to work.”
Laws have to be changed.”
I was lucky. I had a community that raised money for me within hours of me being arrested.”
Fairness for all.”
I am a poor girl from the country, but I should not be underestimated.”
Make it a just and equal system.”
Our society requires mobility and the freedom to make oneself accessible.”
We took a hit paying ANY bail. With real crime rates, why do police pick on intermittently failing tail lights?”
Minimum wage must directly reflect living wage.”
I don't know what would have happened if I could not afford to pay.”
Fines shouldn't be so high.”
[I'm a] people person helping people make a change.”
All states should be required to maintain high-level health care.”
Mandatory [driver's license] insurance is wrong, even if you can't afford a car payment.”
[Should] not lose license over minor tickets.”
Give [people] more chances.”
Homeless [should] have rights.”
Poor people should be able to feel safe and not feel a need to go on the run because they can't pay.”
If someone can not drive to work, then they cannot pay off their debts.”
Abolish life without parole.”
I was denied help for my addiction because at the time I was homeless.”
i would do what i could to roll back the homeless population.”
[Bail] should be removed for minor crimes without violence.”
I want...fair outcomes for everyone instead of punishing people harder just because they committed a crime and they are poor.”
I sat in jail in 2014 because I didn’t have 100 dollars and neither did [any] of my family members.”
My license shouldn’t have been suspended because I missed an insurance payment.”
Allow felons to vote.”
Poor people have to plead guilty whether they are or not.”
Giv[e] individuals access to livable wage jobs.”
As it is used today, [bail] is a tragic attempt to punish the most vulnerable.”
It's ridiculous how the punishments rarely fit the crimes.”
Legalize marijuana.”
Child care assistance for single working mothers.”
More help [for] people.”
Create jobs.”
Cops [should] stop shooting black people.”
It is unfair.”
Bail cost $9,000.”
I had to go to jail because I could not afford to pay.”
Legalize weed.”
I am getting better---I am enough.”
Drug screens are not a preventable measure. People who use need help and treatment, not a stick help over their heads.”
Been on an electronic monitor.”
[Bail is] high for no reason. I'm homeless, I cannot afford this.”
It is unfair.”
I have a felony conviction and don't know how to get my voting rights back.”
Having access to [free] movement is a critical necessity.”
Minimum wage is ridiculously low, housing is ridiculously high (or non existent).”
Housing for all.”
[i'm] interested in making change in the community.”
I watched others unable to pay their basic traffic tickets and was very angry about how much it was just to get caught speeding.”
Our family put everything on hold to make sure the incarcerated person was able to bond out. This meant missing work and other family obligations.”
Equal voting rights, so that we all at least may be equal in our ability to vote for change.”
I was told I would have to go to jail if I couldn't afford to pay.”
I drove my daughter around for one solid year when she had her license revoked, so that she would not be put in a position to drive without a license and take the great risk of getting arrested. I did not want to visit her in jail.”
Money is a terrible way to handle crime in a society with wealth inequality.”
Taking driver's licenses away and sending someone to jail is ridiculous for obvious reasons. How can you pay if you can't drive and can't work?”
Abolish [the criminal legal system] and replace with robust forms of accountability facilitated by trained community members.”
I took from my savings [to pay fines].”
Affordable housing for all.”
Implement restorative practices as a means of providing intervention, accountability and resolution.”
I have worked with peers and seen them lose jobs over not being able to come to work on a consistent schedule due to having their license suspended.”
I don't make very much and was homeless for years because I had to keep up with the payments but couldn't.”
At 17 years old, both of my parents were arrested... It was traumatic and I spent my senior year of high school jumping from house to house and working to support myself as well as put money on my parents' books.”
Everything is more difficult [without a license]. It affects my finances.”
My parents did not know about my fine and court costs...I stayed with my partner and worked the summer to pay off my fine and probation costs.”
Abolish and sue the crap out of private prisons.”
Build community centers, gardens and outreach programs.”
Criminalization is victim blaming and doesn't help solve the problem of poverty.”
What further exacerbates [poverty] is the privatization of processes that the government should bear the costs [of].”
[I] went to court but still had to pay.”
Universal healthcare and mental health for all.”
It is unfair.”
i worked and paid [my revoked license] off slowly.”
I'm more than what I appear to be.”
I need help getting [my license] paid.”
It's a shame how they treat us who can't afford a lawyer and bond. It's not right.”
End money bail.”
The system is stacked against us.”
Get rid of [the criminal legal system] and replace it with transformative justice practices.”
[I'm] a family member of a directly impacted loved one.”
Children should be tried as children not adults.”
Get rid of bail and concentrate on mental health.”
Stop charging people by their color.”
They treat low income families different.”
It shouldn't cost as much as it does.”
Shelter for homeless.”
Show [people] compassion, show them the hardships in the local community, and show them that there are other options.”
[I'm] interested in making change in the community.”
[I'm] interested in making change in the community.”
It’s a very sad time for our community with...gentrification and poverty.”
Get people more engaged with the realities of how the government and criminal justice [are] formed and how it can be changed.”
Close all CCA [prisons].”
First time offenders should not get the max [sentence].”
There are repercussions to speaking out about injustice.”
It is unfair.”
Help the homeless.”
We need to review all local laws and modernize them with social justice in mind.”
More opportunity for the youth.”
Stop charging me for the color of my skin.”
Hold people accountable in the community.”
There need to be more organizations or programs that can help people pay their fees.”
I have a daughter that is incarcerated and I'm trying my best to help support her and her 5 year old. I just want a fair outcome.”
Things need to start changing or it's going to [be] more people locked up for crimes.”
[I'm] interested in making change in the community.”
No more criminal justice system. I'm tired of it.”
Legalize Marijuana.”
It is unfair.”
I don't know what would have happened if I could not afford to pay.”
The system is corrupt.”
Things need to change.”
Listen more to the people who are incarcerated.”
I think [bail] is corrupt because it preys on people at their most vulnerable positions in life.”
Loved one...lost their job because it took days to come up with bail money.”
Change sentencing and probation.”
More housing and cheaper rent.”
It was risky because I had to keep driving to keep my job.”
[Electronic monitoring is] another way to jail and persecute [the] impoverished.”
It is unfair.”
It is unfair.”
"[Without a license] I am paying more for transportation to and from work.”
I had to go to jail because I could not afford to pay.”
More programs for felons after prison.”
Because of the payment and the small...wages they could not pay for their car, a place to live, fuel for the car, or any other living expenses.”
No killing.”
Stop the violence.”
People need a livable wage; they need access to healthcare that won't put them in ten of thousands of dollars of debt. They need access to education and training programs that won't put them in debt.”
It is unfair.”
People don't have enough money.”
Revoked license.”
Been bailed out.”
It affects my daughter mental [health] when her father is in trouble with the law and cannot make bail.”
Stop harassment.”
Fairness for everyone.”
I'm just like everybody. I'm no better than anyone but I will help everyone.”
It's not right that our community is targeted just because we cannot pay to get out of trouble.”
Help addicts receive more help.”
[We need] more affordable houses.”
End homelessness. End the 1% class.”
Monitor cost [is] too much.”
I really want my voting rights back.”
I owe fines and fees.”
Probation fees! Where are they being spent and how?”
It's a double edged sword. Can't drive but can't go to work unless you do.”
I just want to be a part of helping others.”
It's hard not being able to drive.”
Give second chances.”
Legalize marijuana.”
We must all come together to find ways of getting rid of...[the] criminalization of poverty.”
Don't lock up [the] mentally ill.”
Give second chances.”
If we don't come together as a community, it's going to get worse.”
We as a community need to stand up and make a change.”
Change is hard...but I'm doing it.”
Rid the system of overzealous prosecutors...Stop treating conviction rates like badges of honor.”
If you [have] done your time, you should be able to vote.”
I had to go to jail because I could not afford to pay.”
I don't know what would have happened if I could not afford to pay.”
Everyone deserves a second chance.”
I was told I would have to go to jail if I couldn't afford to pay.”
I have a felony conviction and don't know how to get my voting rights back.”
It's not right to have to be able to buy freedom.”
Can't move around freely [without a license].”
People [are] getting arrested for no reason at all.”
No death penalty.”
It's wrong.”
Felony's should have a second chance with urban housing.”
It is unfair.”
Free prescribed medication under physicians care.”
I was told I would have to go to jail if I couldn't afford to pay.”
Gang member turn around by God”
Help people start businesses since not all are friendly to hire felons.”
I would change the crime rate and the violence.”
I think the charges they add are ridiculous and they over charge. I shouldn't be charged for them printing out the receipt or paper and why am I having to pay clerks and other people that I never seen or talked to or had to deal with?”
Our bills were almost late bc I’d assisted someone else.”
Give all formerly incarcerated a right to vote.”
All drug laws need to reformed.”
Start a program for the young kids.”
[Bail is] too high for infractions.”
Reinstate all the rights of one locked up.”
[I'm] making change in the community.”
More help for homeless vets”
First time felons being able to vote.”
Disenfranchised have right to vote and travel outside of US.”
Other options should exist, e.g. job training, work placement, co-op support”
More affordable housing”
It is unfair.”
End homelessness.”
Bail is punitive punishment on the poor.”
[I'm] making change in the community.”
Legalize weed.”
I have hope for mankind.”
[I'm] interested in making change in the community.”
Innocent til proven guilty.”
It is unfair.”
Police can't make up rules as they go.”
Let the father be so he can support the child.”
Abolish cash bail.”
I'm not sure of any of the resources yet. I'm new here and have been homeless for a while now. No one has reached out to help us.”
Reduce poverty.”
Support for house less and more programs for people getting released back into society.”
Bring the community together; to understand how not to be alone.”
I don't know what would have happened if I could not afford to pay.”
Stop violence”
Change the three strike law.”
The government needs to be far more involved in ways that support the millions in poverty.”
Stop letting people out without jobs.”
It's a money grab.”
Change how the police mess with the homeless.”
Suspended license.”
DUI laws are difficult to overcome thus, to employ should be provided by judged system.”
Mass incarceration is no real commitment to rehabilitation and no real pathway to citizenship.”
It is illegal for anyone to criminalize anyone who happens to be in poverty.”
Don't over look the homeless. Don't push us out. Personalize the experience. Everyone is homeless for different reasons. Medical service improvements. Access funding for medical service.”
It is unfair.”
Respect Homeless people.”
Overturn sentences for minor offenses.”
Naturally persons with limited income and limited means have no real ability to receive fair representation in the current legal and judicial system.”
Help people off the streets who are on drugs.”
I have to sell my car and find a new one to take a test.”
[i'm] interested in making change in the community.”
[I'm] making change in the community.”
[I'm] making change in the community.”
[There's a] lack of resources.”
Its really unfair and you have to know someone in the places who assist you in order to be treated fairly.”
Give them a education and give back to the community as a sentence. Rather than locking people up. This is a chance at life and for some a 2nd chance to get it right.”
[I'm] supposed to pay child support but cannot afford to pay.”
[I'm] making change in the community.”
Not enough information provided while you're incarcerated nor help.”
It's not fair for them to falsely charge court costs.”
They sometimes set bail way too high so that the underprivileged cannot afford to get out.”
Make bail affordable for unfair situations”
Stop incarceration of people because of the inability to pay bail and fees.”
Provide solar to each home in a business form that each client makes capital off refers in residual income.”
I run two programs in the women’s jail, and am a part of a homelessness resource organization. I try to bring dignity, safety, and community to those in need of it.”
Restore incarcerated people's rights to vote after they have completed their time”
I think that the legal system is entangled with the government and market to keep poor people poor.”
Nonviolent crimes should not get someone sentenced to jail.”
Why don't they have help for the homeless?”
Decrease homelessness and increase rehabilitation”
Having a driver's license plays a big part in having a full time job in order to help with bills. How can you even get the money if you're in jail?”
I feel there should be other alternatives of halfway houses not halfway houses for drugs and prostitution but for everything.”
End money bail - increase public defenders.”
[I'm] interested in making change in the community.”
Organization could be created to help pay half of fines for individuals under the age of 25 that also gives training, educational and other resources needed to set the person on the right course if needed.”
Individuals going to classes for non major crimes like domestic violence or theft”
I have a felony conviction and don't know how to get my voting rights back.”
Justice for our black males”
They shouldn't be suspended due to tickets or childhood behaviour before eligibility.”
I had to go to jail because I could not afford to pay.”
Work and save up until my court date.”
[Bail] is unreasonable.”
[I'm] making change in the community.”
To allow "innocent until proven guilty" to be truthful meaning no incarceration before trial.”
It is unfair.”
Would try to teach the kids about staying on track.”
Restructure on how non violent crimes are punished.”
There has to be a better way to drive accountability.”
I believe there should be standard rules for all jail places to adhere by.”
People with felonies should have the same job opportunities as everyone else.”
Make Election Day a holiday.”
Unjust system that targets minorities who seemingly possess less to no economic power.”
Anger management really changes your way of thinking and putting other people’s feelings before your own.”
Community involvement, meeting a persons most basic needs, not expecting humans to be machines of capitalism.”
I'd really like to get my license.”
[I'm] interested in making change in the community.”
Drug sentences are too long.”
I have a felony conviction and don't know how to get my voting rights back.”
The criminalization of poverty has deeply impacted my family for several generations.”
Alternatives to jail and losing license should be available.”
It's designed to keep us struggling or in a deep hole.”
I am a good woman, person and helpful to even strangers need be whom has made some poor choices but not a throw away.”
I'm unable to get around without fear of being arrested.”
I don't know what would have happened if I could not afford to pay.”
[Need] cheaper housing.”
The reinstatement fee is the hardest to pay.”
There is too much money being wasted.”
First time offenders [should] get house rest.”
Stop killing Black men at the drop of a dime.”
I think we all deserve a chance to change in society and live a free life outside jail and prison walls.”
I really would like to give back to my community.”
[I'm] making change in the community.”
It is unfair.”
I need to find out what my purpose in life is and I believe it is helping homeless recovering people.”
I don't know what would have happened if I could not afford to pay.”
They should have a better system to help people.”
They should give us a second chance.”
I was told I would have to go to jail if I couldn't afford to pay.”
More accessible information and education. better outreach solutions from organizations doing the work.”
Change these bias judges in our court houses. Get people who come from where we come from and will understand and get them help that is needed instead of instantly throwing them in cages like animals.”
It is unfair.”
It is unfair that you pay bail and still pay extra money when you get out.”
They should...let us do a payment plan.”
[I'm] making change in the community.”
Stop locking people up for nothing.”
The low income and uneducated people do not really have a chance if they don't have a support system or someone to fight, advocate or speak for them.”
I was told I would have to go to jail if I couldn't afford to pay.”
[I'm] interested in making change in the community.”
It is unfair.”
I don't know how to get my voting rights back.”
[I'm] making change in the community.”
Stop killing people.”
My skill is my strength for other people to be strong.”
I am a good person.”
Clear charges for any substance or crime that is now being legalized”
Help single parents.”
[I'm] interested in making change in the community.”
Poverty is a pervasive systematic problem that needs to be corrected.”
Sentence reform!”
If you get a false charge it should come off your record.”
I can't be as independent as I wish I could!!!”
I have a lot to say about the criminalization of poverty. It is intentional. It is unacceptable, and there will be an end to it.”
Abolish the whole damn thing”
Bail is only there to hurt the poor. It takes money form the people who are least likely to have it. It is just another way for the system to keep the poor, poor.”
I would love to buy the old Chattanooga state building and turn it into a rehab for people to come to that need help. Also would like to make part of it an animal shelter.”
You should get the money back when you appear in court.”
IF YOU ARE INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY, why is bail even an issue at all?”
How will people get to work to pay off fines if they can't drive and if they do drive and get caught, it is even worse!”
Cash bail is inherently unfair.”
Not being able to pay doesn't mean someone should be punished.”
It is unfair.”
I had to sell our extra vehicle.”
PAY THE PEOPLE LIVABLE WAGE JOBS. EVERYTHING ELSE WILL FALL IN TO PLACE.”
It's ridiculous to incarcerate someone over child support. It harms everyone including the child. There is nothing about it right.”
Not being able to afford bail should not keep a person who hasn't been convicted of anything in jail.”
Court costs are way too high.”
Freedom is something that SHOULD NOT be bought!”
I'm poor, I don't have the resources to pay this.”
Stop gerrymandering.”
Justice for all. Justice should be fair”
[I] couldn't take my children to school or to the doctor or myself to the many medical appointments I needed at the time.”
There are people sitting in jails and prisons now, that had a good job, home, and their children, but have had it taken away, only because they couldn't pay probation, and this is unacceptable.”
Let people go for weed charges.”
[I'm] making change in the community.”
[I'm] interested in making change in the community.”
I paid over 5000 in January last year.”
I don't know what would have happened if I could not afford to pay.”
Release low-level offenders.”
Get [people] off the streets.”
Lower bail.”
Just because your poor means you have no say.”
Even though...all charges were dropped, I had to pay court costs and lawyer fees that I could not afford.”
[Change] the way they sentence people.”
[We need] money for health.”
I need [my license] to work.”
The bail bondsmen are robbing the community. They are not doing anything to help the community thrive.”
It's fucked up that I have to pay 3k.”
I don't know what would have happened if I could not afford to pay.”
[I'm] making change in the community.”
[I owed] 200 dollars.”
[I'm] interested in making change in the community.”
It is unfair.”
Give black men business/job opportunities.”
It is sad that the system runs on financially punishing people.”
I don't know what would have happened if I could not afford to pay.”
I recently got a speeding ticket for going 70 in a 60. It was $250. I was shocked. While I can pay it, I can't imagine that would be anything short of devastating to a poor person.”
Nobody should be too poor to live.”
[I'm] interested in making change in the community.”