17-year-old felon with nothing...

[HarleyRene]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Michigan

I'm not sure if I've posted this in the right topic, but I think it could apply to various topics.

My boyfriend recently got out of jail and now has a felony on his record for larceny (which he committed when he was 16). He has 3 years of probation and now owes a lot of money. He is almost 18 and has been determined to get his life around ever since he met me. But due to a number of life circumstances, he is finding this very difficult.

First of all, both of his parents are dead. His dad died when he was young, and his mom died a few years ago. For a while he had nowhere to live. He now lives with his brother and just got enrolled back into high school, but has no license, no car, and no job. But despite these things he is expected to do everything on his own and his brother cuts him very little slack. And he has very few family members to help him. The nearest one lives about an hour away.

He is expected to report to his PO every other week and pay all sorts of fines and fees. He also has another PO in another town that he has to report to as well. But how is he supposed to get all the fines paid off and get to his PO? He is having trouble finding a job because he is still under 18 and because he has a felony and jobs are just plain hard to find right now. And because of this, he has no money to pay fines on his own. Because he has no money, he can't get a car. And because he can't get a car, doesn't have anyone to help him practice, and doesn't have proper identification (such as a social security card) he cannot get a license. And without a license or car, he has no way to get to his PO or to work if he DID have a job.

His sister in another city helps him pay his fines and he relies on both me and her for transportation and cash. He gets social security each month, but his brother takes about half of that for rent. I cannot help him very much because I'm only 18 and a freshman in college and I have a part-time job, but I only make $200 a month if I'm lucky.

So what is he supposed to do? What can he do to get these things he needs without parents to help him? And how can he live a decent life with a felony on his record?

Does anyone have any ideas or advice?