Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. We are proud to support Sabrina Hill's journey and share her story with our community. You can read the original post here.
Imagine what it’s like to be a 48-year-old mother of four emerging from prison after serving seven years on two separate drug convictions. Your family is not there to pick you up. You’re completely on your own.
To meet your most basic Maslovian needs, you have nothing but a $25 debit card that a prison official handed you upon your release. Actually, it’s worse than that. Because you were convicted in Georgia, you are responsible for paying the state parole fees. Your probation officer told you that if you don’t pay your $5,000 fee within three years, you will get sent back to prison.
You take a bus to Atlanta. You immediately start looking for work—any work. You figure the most likely place to start is cleaning other people’s homes. You interview with Merry Maids. You feel like you nailed the interview and get your hopes up, but the company turns you down. The recruiter tells you that your felony record means their insurance won’t cover you.
You’ve seen all the homeless people in Atlanta; you simply don’t know how you’re going to avoid their fate. If you can’t even support yourself, how are you possibly going to regain custody of your teenage daughter? You’re strong, but you can’t help but sob.
>>>Continue reading Sabrina's full story at the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.
