Story

Dion Armour

Dion Amour, a 14-year-old in Wichita, Kansas, is on probation and wearing an ankle monitor. She works with a therapist four times a week and is trying to catch up on schoolwork. However, the fees related to her case, which range from court fees to ankle bracelet "rental," are financially burdening her family. Dion's mother cannot afford these costs, and Dion herself is unable to earn enough to pay them. The financial stress is affecting her therapy and rehabilitation.

"It's really hard to get a job. I try to get a job, I want to have a job so bad, but I just can't get a job because I'm only 14 years old. Every time I try to get a job, they're like, 'You're too young, you're too young.'"

Dion Armour
System-Impacted Youth

Fourteen-year-old Dion Amour, an eighth-grader in Wichita, Kansas, had her first encounter with the juvenile justice system less than a year ago. Now on probation and tethered with an ankle monitor, Dion focuses on her rehabilitation and building a positive future. She works with a therapist four times a week, tries to catch up on missed school, and yearns for normalcy—to “make TikToks, listen to music and stuff,” in her own words.

But if the ankle monitor is not a shackle, the fees related to her case are. Dion’s mother doesn’t have the disposable income to cover these costs, which range from court fees to a “rental” of the ankle bracelet. At Dion’s age, she isn’t able to earn enough income to pay these costs herself. Nickel and dimed to a point where financial stress threatens her therapy and rehabilitation, Dion laments, “You're making kids feel like they have to do something to get some money to pay for it. We’re just kids. We can't pay for this stuff.”

DEBT FREE JUSTICE: Can you tell me about your first interaction with the juvenile court system?

DION ARMOUR: My first interaction was last year, and this is the first time I ever got into trouble with the police and all that. I went to Jayak, and they processed me in.

DFJ: Speaking of the outcome of that situation, can you talk about that?

DION: Well, I ended up getting put on probation for what happened. When I got on probation, I had a male probation officer. He would just have me come in. He would just talk to me about what's going on and stuff. Then I got my probation officer switched to a girl, because all the girls have the same probation officer. She's really nice. She was a real nice woman.

DFJ: How was it going to school, being involved with the system? How was your schooling process? Was it interrupted?

DION: Yeah. School was interrupted. I was in juvenile detention dang near my whole eighth grade year, I was never at school. When I was at school, my probation officer would come up to the school, see me, and then leave. I'd say about once or twice a month.

DFJ: Were you or your parents ever asked to pay money because of your case?

DION: Yes. I'm on an ankle monitor right now, and the ankle monitor comes with a charger. I've lost my charger twice. Every time you want to get a new charger, you have to pay $60 to get a new charger. My mom was like, "Well, I'm not paying $60, so how is she going to charge her bracelet? You want her to charge her bracelet, so give her a new charger."

At the time, my mom couldn't afford to pay for that. I already lost two, so they wanted $120. Luckily I had a friend that was on probation and had another charger that I could use. If I didn't have a charger, I was going to go back to jail.

At the end of the probation, you will have to pay all your fees and stuff. At the end of my probation, I'm going to have to pay for those chargers, you have to pay for your ankle monitor ...