Jailed for Debt in the U.S. in the 21st Century
(All Gov.)
More than a hundred and fifty years ago, Americans were thrown into jail for not paying their debts, until the country did away with so-called debtors’ prisons in 1833. Today, similar punishments have returned for those in over their heads in debts.
While millions of Americans are still struggling to pay off credit cards and loans, many are finding themselves serving time in local jails because of failures to make payments or to appear at court hearings with debt collectors. Consumer attorneys said they’ve witnessed a rise in debt-related arrests in Arkansas, Arizona, Minnesota and Washington.
In Minnesota, arrest warrants for debtors have increased 60% during the past four years. Those arrested often serve 48 hours in local jails. But in some states, judges have ordered individuals to serve jail time until coming up with minimum payments to creditors.
The federal government does not keep figures on these kinds of arrests, and the industry would prefer to keep it that way, says Robert Hobbs, deputy director of the National Consumer Law Center in Boston. “My suspicion is the debt collection industry does not want the world to know these arrests are happening, because the practice would be widely condemned,” Hobbs told the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
In Jail for Being in Debt (by Chris Serres and Glenn Howatt, Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune)
Judge Must Release Woman Sentenced to Jail for Being Poor, ACLU Says in Court Papers (ACLU of Michigan)
June 21, 2010
Topic: Jail for Debt in the U.S. in the 21st Century (Read 1026 times)