A few months ago, we shared the story of a woman who was supposed to come to Benevolence Farm. Instead, upon her release after 10 years of incarceration, ICE picked her up and transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. In the time since then, we have supported her as she acquired an attorney who believes she has a strong asylum case. For this level of quality representation, it costs money. Lots of it.
And so do probation fees. And child reunification. And criminal legal fees barring formerly incarcerated people from getting their driver’s license.
While we collectively work towards a world free of prison, supervision, and ICE detention, we are opening a legal fund to address these problems here and now.
The Benevolence Farm Legal Fund will address the legal inequities formerly incarcerated women face in North Carolina. We recognize that formerly incarcerated women return to their communities with sometimes thousands of dollars in fines and fees levied against them by the state of North Carolina. Additionally, women disproportionately face the financial burden to pursue legal action for the purpose of reunification with their children. As we work towards systemic change that ends these exploitative financial systems, our goal for this Legal Fund is to provide financial relief for legal fines and fees.
For now, our Legal Fund will address three immediate needs: the attorney fees for our friend in ICE detention and two child reunification cases of formerly incarcerated North Carolina women.
Our launch goal is $25,000. Please forward widely and help us reach our goal to provide immediate relief to our inaugural recipients of the Legal Fund.
For more information about the fund, e-mail info@benevolencefarm.org
