Having seen the justice system from both sides, it’s time for reform

My name is Terria Walters and I am a person in long-term recovery and I am a convicted felon who has been sober for over a decade. I have been a part our state’s “correctional system” since 1984: foster care, group homes, juvenile halls and finally prison. I currently live in the Mat-Su Valley.

Throughout my life I struggled with addiction and spent time in and out of prison. I did not want to be an addict and I hated every moment I used. However, no matter how many times I tried to get sober, I always struggled to find a facility and support.

My experiences are why I support the criminal justice reform package moving through the Alaska State Legislature, Senate Bill 91 / House Bill 205. This package contains proposals to reinvestment savings into prevention and victims services, which will improve individual and public safety and result in fewer crime victims in the coming years.

Everything came to a head in 2005 when I was arrested for a non-violent drug offense. I could not bail out of jail to go to treatment due to my bail being $250,000 and the requirement to have a third party custodian. In 2007 I was sentenced to 20 years. While I was incarcerated I watched the majority of women (including my mom) come in and out of jail due to addiction to drugs and alcohol. Many offenders locked up for violating their probations when they relapsed.

After being sober for many years, I started paying attention to how the system operated. I quickly learned the system was set-up for failure, increasing both recidivism and hopelessness.

With our current system inmates face a long wait list for treatment. I believe the state should prioritize treatment over incarceration in cases involving substance abuse, and provide work-skills training so addicts can not only get clean, but also learn how to operate in the real world away from crime.

What’s needed in Alaska aren't more prisons but drug treatment and ways for former inmates to find housing and jobs. Many felons emerge from prison to a world stacked against them. A felony conviction makes it hard to find places to live or a job.

I faced many of these challenges when I was released in 2010 after serving almost 6 years in prison. When I walked out of prison I had a little over $600. I couldn’t get assistance for food stamps and I lived in transitional housing. I also struggled obtaining a job and had little basic necessities. I was provided with little re-entry help. This is the case for many of us who are released from incarceration.

Today I am a recovery advocate in support of criminal justice reform, prison reform and breaking the stigma that surrounds addiction. In 2011 I founded Fallen Up Ministries. Our mission is to reach out to those struggling with addiction issues and transitioning back into the community after incarceration. In December 2014, I partnered with Layne Gunter and now we offer transitional beds to inmates and addicts getting out of prison and treatment.

On June 22, 2015 my son Christopher Seaman was murdered. He suffered with addiction issues as well and it is suspected he was robbed for drugs. I want my son’s death to spark a larger conversation about the nature of addiction and Alaska’s failure to treat the drug and alcohol abuse underlying so many crimes. My mission is to stop this so that other parents don’t have to go through what I am going through.

I am in support of SB 91 and HB 205 because of my own life experiences with the system. We as a state are quick to lock individuals up to punish them. We quickly forget that 90% of these inmates will be released back into our society and a majority of them released with nothing but PTSD, more criminality and addictions.

Right now, I am a person proud to be in long-term recovery. I am a mother, grandmother and a woman who has a fresh new life.

April is a big month for me. On April 2nd I celebrated 11 years clean and sober. At midnight on the 3rd, I will be free and released from discretionary parole after successfully completing 6 years of supervision with no violations. Finally, mid- April I will close on my first house and begin my life as a free woman for the first time since 1984: free from both drugs and the system. I have made it but there are still many who struggle every day. They need support.

I urge lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 91 and to reinvest a substantial portion of the savings into the services that do the best job of addressing addiction.