We are looking for several new roles on our team! People with lived experience in the criminal legal system are encouraged to apply. Click here to apply today!
It’s the season of giving thanks and Civil Survival is very excited to spotlight our very own staff for the months of November & December! Not only would we like to show our gratitude for their dedication but also share with our communities the faces of those responsible for the life-changing work we do. Our work is not possible without our passionate team. They work hard every day to support our formerly incarcerated families & individuals and thanks to them, we are one step closer to a world free from mass incarceration.
We’re spreading some holiday cheer with another #StaffSpotlight! Today we’re highlighting Teresa (she/her), one of our fabulous Staff Attorneys.
Teresa has served on the editorial board for the American Criminal Law Review and leads efforts to support directly impacted individuals by helping reduce Legal Financial Obligations (LFOs) and vacating records, just to name a few. In addition to her passion for justice, Teresa’s biggest motivating factor in the fight against unjust systems is her daughter.
Civil Survival is very fortunate to have Teresa on our team as we continue to push for policy change and work towards an equitable future for ALL.
Keep scrolling to learn more about Teresa!
What drew you to working with CSP?
My own experience of poverty and my passion for equal access to justice drew me to CSP. It has been a long and winding road to CSP, but now I’m here, and this is my dream job. In my past work I have seen how privilege affords greater access to justice, and I’m committed to changing that.
What event or impactful change are you the most proud of during your time working with Civil Survival? Or, what part of Civil Survival Project’s work resonates the most with you?
I’m proud of the amicus brief CSP authored in support of the effort to end the mandatory imposition of certain legal financial obligations on indigent people, but I find the most joy in helping my individual clients decrease their legal financial obligations and clear their records.
What’s something you’re looking forward to in the future of CSP?
Increasing our capacity to help more people and doing more impact litigation.
What’s something you’re grateful for within the last year?
I’m grateful to be working with directly impacted clients and CSP staff and to all of my colleagues at CSP, who are so dedicated to the work we’re doing.
This is a photo of my daughter and me. My daughter inspires me to fight against a system in which opportunity, rights, and access to justice are so often dictated by race and privilege or lack privilege.
