"Cash-Strapped States Resurrect "Debtors' Prisons"

Published: October 9, 2010, 9:31 am

"Cash-Strapped States Resurrect "Debtors' Prisons"

Wednesday 06 October 2010

by: Nadia Prupis, t r u t h o u t

"Two reports published by NYU's Brennan Center for Justice and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reveal a rising trend of patently unconstitutional practices in cash-strapped states, where a growing number of impoverished people are jailed for being unable to pay their legal fees - including charges for use of public defenders, a guaranteed right in the United States. The resurgence of these draconian "debtors' prisons" has been documented in at least 13 of the 15 states with the largest prison populations in the country, including California, Arizona, Michigan and Alabama......."

http://www.truth-out.org/punishing-poor-being-poor63949

Entry #2,303

Comments

sully16 - Oct 9, 2010, 10:12 am

I got mixed emotions, running up a tax payer bill to put the poor in jail is so very wrong, being poor shouldn't be a crime, every situation is different, I know people who rack up debt with no intentions of ever paying it back.
There are to many people living way beyond their means...should they get a buy on legal fees because they are poor?
should the tax payers be forced to foot the bill for this either way?
I'm going to think about this some more, a better solution would be community service.
even lawyers have children to feed.
many angles to this .

konane - Oct 9, 2010, 10:22 am

Thanks Sully! So long as we have a government more oriented toward seizing people's worth every way they can dream up ... which is not conducive to small business starting up so they can employ people this problem will only get worse. With jobs available people can pay off what they owe.

sully16 - Oct 9, 2010, 1:16 pm

Yes I agree, they are helping us to be poor.

konane - Oct 9, 2010, 1:35 pm

Thanks Sully! Looks that way.

"Cash-Strapped States Resurrect "Debtors' Prisons"

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