Release from prison can feel like a relief. It is a chance to reunite with family, friends and start rebuilding a life on the outside.It is also a time of anxiety as former inmates come to grips with the need to start paying off their court costs, fees and fines that often amount to thousands of dollars. "The way that Oklahoma court systems work is a very large portion of the everyday cost for the district courts is paid by defendants paying back their criminal costs and fines, that's their budget, basically, and so you have to pay to be prosecuted," said Oklahoma Legal Aid Attorney, Katie Dunning. "It's typically thousands of dollars. Even just for one charge, you get hit with a fine, plus court costs and fees, supervision fees if you owe restitution. It all adds up. And typically, when a woman is coming out of prison, they owe thousands upon thousands of dollars back to the county they were prosecuted in." Lisa Lyons grew up in Tulsa. She started using drugs during her teen years. Over time it escalated."I had a really good upbringing, so it didn't have anything to do with my family situation." Lyons said. "I just wanted to fit in. I wanted to fit in with the crowd. I wanted to have fun. I was 17 when I started on the heavier drug road. But I know I started dabbling with drugs when I was about 12, and when I got into my 20s or 30s, the drugs got more and more, and I got addicted to meth. I was making it. I was using it. And then I started using it intravenously for about 17 years."Through it all, Lyon's tight-knit family supported her, even as she found herself in and out of lockups. "You miss out on a lot when you're in prison. I missed my daughter's graduation. I missed my first granddaughter being born," Lyons said. "It's pretty trying when you're in there and you can't do anything. But I did have a lot of support. My family always came and saw me at least once a month."Lyons credits prison with saving her life. It's where she connected with the Women in Recovery Program to get sober."I was in that program for 18 months. Graduated in 2013, and I stay fully engaged in the aftercare program." Lyons said. "I have therapy for free for the rest of my life, and I do the alumni, and I'm on the board." Women in Recovery (WIR) is a prison diversion program designed for women who do not qualify for other community-based diversion options. Currently, WIR serves approximately 150 participants, with 685 women having graduated from the program. Many of our graduates are thriving in the community, working in full-time, living-wage jobs, reuniting with their children, and achieving educational and employment milestones, including GEDs, bachelors, and even masters degrees. Our programs success is reflected in a recidivism rate of under 3%. We are also privileged to have embedded Legal Aid attorneys , offering critical support to current participants and alumni on issues such as fines, fees, housing, and guardianship. Being with the program introduced her to Legal Aid Attorney Katie Dunning. Dunning let Lyons know about an Oklahoma law that helps eligible ex-inmates waive some of the burden of debt racked up through court costs, fines, and fees. Over the years, Lyons racked up thousands in court costs and fines."$60,000, close to $60,000," she said. "One of my fines was pretty substantial, and it's the $50,000 fine for having a meth lab, which is why I went to prison.""For people coming out of Department of Corrections, if they pay on their costs and fines for two years consecutively, and they complete all of their probation and everything after prison, the court has the authority to waive the remainder," said Dunning. "So that law has actually been on the books since 2016."The court waived around $46,000 of Lyon's debt. Before that waiver, she told 2 News she tried paying it off at a rate of $50 a month with no hope of actually getting out from under it in her lifetime.Now, debt free, Lyons is focusing on her job, her family, and hoping to one day buy a house. Dunning told 2 News another recently enacted law helps ex-inmates living below the poverty line."It's making the courts ask the questions of, are you impoverished? Do you have certain federal government benefits or things that are meaning that you're not able to pay these off, said Dunning. "You know, are you receiving SNAP benefits, government benefits, housing vouchers? Are you on disability? And the court is now having to look at those things and consider that in in your ability to pay and so it is helping defendants across the state now that the court can no longer just say, oh, you should just go get a job. You know, they can't consider disability payments as income. They can't consider SNAP benefits as income. And so I do believe that it is helping the community in making this large burden of paying back these costs and fines lesser because the court is doing their part in reducing that based on people's circumstances."Those wanting more information about how either law might help with their court costs, fees, and fines can contact Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma at 918-584-3338. Contact the Problem Solvers: 918-748-1502 [email protected] in touch with us anytime, anywhere -- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices. Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Twitter