Chapter 40
Chapter 40: The Parole Office
On December 3rd, two days after her release, Sabrina sat in a cramped, fluorescent-lit parole office in Richmond, Virginia. I know exactly what happened because Marcus’s connections in the state legal system ensured we kept a quiet tab on her compliance.
Her parole officer, a stern man named Officer Vance, slid a stack of papers across the desk. "Your restrictions are simple, Ms. Davis. You remain within the state lines. You hold a minimum of thirty hours of employment per week. And twenty-five percent of every paycheck is automatically garnished and sent to the court restitution escrow for Anna Davis."
Sabrina stared at the paper, her face thin and pale from three years of gray prison walls. "I still have to pay her? After everything? I went to jail!"
"Going to jail is the punishment for breaking the law, Ms. Davis," Officer Vance said without looking up from his computer. "Restitution is the debt you owe your victim. You stole seventy thousand dollars. With interest and legal penalties, your balance stands at forty-two thousand remaining. You pay until it hits zero."
"I don't even have a place to live," Sabrina whispered, her voice cracking, losing the fierce arrogance that used to define her. "My son won't talk to me."
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"Then I suggest you find a shelter or an entry-level job that provides housing," Vance replied coldly. "Because if you miss one payment, or if you violate the permanent restraining order held by Claire Davis and her daughter, you go straight back to the block. Sign the paper."
With trembling hands, Sabrina signed away her freedom for a different kind of cage.
