COVID was able to provide many people with different prospective of items that were important to their productivity and economic development. We have been able to assisted dozens of clients safely with their credit reports, credit discrepancies and credit counseling. Vaccinations and PPE have allowed us to provide this service with privacy and confidentiality. Your support will help us secure adequate PPE, space to socially distance, and other adjustments necessary.
JAC envisions a just society where all individuals have affordable access to necessary legal and social services. The lack of access for incarcerated populations to appropriate services in the post-conviction phase of the criminal justice system and the lack of support for a positive reentry of people previously incarcerated are contrary to notions of fairness and justice.
For 9 months, JAC has not been able to provide our legal services on a regular basis to formerly incarcerated people returning to our community. Nonetheless, people are released from prisons and jails every day and their legal problems continue. In fact, their legal obstacles to reentry success are exacerbated by court and administrative agency closures. JAC is doing as much as we can over the phone and we tried virtual (Zoom) clinics, but lack of access to internet dampened participation.
When Louisiana is in the clear from COVID-19, the economy will look very different. Entry-level positions will be difficult to obtain for many people, and this will be even harder for people with a criminal record or with garnishments like child support to their paychecks. By providing in-person, physically distant, legal clinics to our community, JAC hopes to prepare people with convictions for the post-COVID economy by assisting them with eliminating legal barriers to successful reentry.
