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Report Says Michigan Among States That Jail Those Who Can't Pay Debts

Michael Komorn

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Michael Komorn Advanced Member

Michael Komorn

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Report says Michigan among states that jail those who can't pay debts

Brian J. O’Connor / Detroit News Finance Editor

Long banned in the United States, debtors prisons are returning in the form of debt-collection practices that send poor defendants to jail for not paying legal fees, according to two reports released Tuesday. Michigan was one of the states jailing people to poor to pay court and jail costs — even though the state constitution explicitly forbids the practice.

The studies by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Brennan Center of Justice found that simply being too poor to pay some debts was all it took to be locked behind bars in a new version of the Old West sentence of "30 dollars or 30 days."

 

The ACLU's report included the case of Kawana Young of Washtenaw County, a 25-year-old single mother who was jailed five times for not having the money to pay traffic fines. Court and jail costs were then added to her bill.

 

"I just need a chance to do right," the study quoted her as saying. "It doesn't make sense to jail people when they can't pay because they definitely can't pay while they're in jail." The study also found that other provisions for collecting legals debts, such as suspending an offender's license for missed debt payments, made it difficult for people to work to pay the debt and often led to new convictions for driving with a suspended license.

The studies found that states and counties hit hard by the recession see fines and legal fees as a ready source of money from defendants, who are assessed financial penalties above and beyond their criminal sentences, but which must be repaid unless they want to end up back in jail.

"Incarcerating people simply because they cannot afford to pay their legal debts is not only unconstitutional but also has a devastating impact upon men and women, whose only crime is that they are poor," said Eric Balaban, senior staff attorney with the ACLU National Prison Project.

boconnor@detnews.com

(313) 222-2145

 

 

From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20101005/UPDATE/10050419/1361/Report-says-Michigan-among-states-that-jail-those-who-can-t-pay-debts#ixzz11Z5pG7jb

 

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Michael Komorn Advanced Member

Michael Komorn

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That's their practice. Put people in the system that cant get out,take a shady photo, splash it in the paper, and nickle and dime them to death.

Meanwhile these rich sucks swindle and steal millions, with nothing to fear.

The system is warped.

 

Serioulsy, sometimes I think they sit around in a think tank somewhere and decide who they can go after and get money from to pay for their shortcoming at budget management. They outlawed debtor prisons in the 13th century. Yet every Judge will tell you all fines and costs due on the day of sentencing. I recently had a case where the Court tried to require the accused to pay for the jury. "pay for the jury"

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solabeirtan Advanced Member

solabeirtan

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I dont have my builders license, any more. Because my cell phone was stolen in Mexico. (Basically) Sent MDL$R my Renewall fee twice, (thought I forgot) only to find, after building a Dozen Houses with NO Complaints, they wont renew because I owe SBC $1200 for Roaming Charges. Their Loss IMHO. (I guess it turns out We all Lose) Also anybody and Everybodies Loss that has tried to sell a House in the past 4-5 years

 

I watched a guy in Atlanta, on TV last night, watch his house burn down, to the ground, as the FD stood by, spraying only the fence line, because he didn't pay the $75 fee, on time. They wouldnt let him pay the $75 as the house was burning. They also refused to take a check from the neighbors for $5,000 to put it out and they refused. He is sitting in front of his former Reidence as it Smolders, as we >?speke? ....

 

 

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mizerman Advanced Member

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I dont have my builders license, any more. Because my cell phone was stolen in Mexico. (Basically) Sent MDL$R my Renewall fee twice, (thought I forgot) only to find, after building a Dozen Houses with NO Complaints, they wont renew because I owe SBC $1200 for Roaming Charges. Their Loss IMHO. (I guess it turns out We all Lose) Also anybody and Everybodies Loss that has tried to sell a House in the past 4-5 years

 

I watched a guy in Atlanta, on TV last night, watch his house burn down, to the ground, as the FD stood by, spraying only the fence line, because he didn't pay the $75 fee, on time. They wouldnt let him pay the $75 as the house was burning. They also refused to take a check from the neighbors for $5,000 to put it out and they refused. He is sitting in front of his former Reidence as it Smolders, as we >?speke? ....

That was a very sad news story. My wife and I watched the same exact thing. Seems we have a fairly large group of people in this country that just want people to die, lose everything, and get off of the rolls.

 

If that happened to me, the guy who "made the call" from the golf course telling the fire department to let it burn would have a "worm issue" right about now.

 

Did you watch it on Keith O's show last night?

 

 

Mizerman

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jmorrison71 Advanced Member

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Pay or jail is a huge practice in the courts in Metro Detroit. Many courts will allow you time to pay your fines and costs but then if you violate probation you are required to pay the money in full or serve time in jail. I know that Wayne County Jail will then send you a "booking fee" bill for the time your served in jail. I believe that Washtenaw County Jail went to the same practice. Then when you don't pay the jail fees they turn it over to a collection agency. There is one district court judge in Washtenaw County that will order jail on anything, including non jailable offenses like traffic offenses.

 

The courts and the state will do anything, including having debtors prisons, in order to collect that mighty dollar.

 

I've never seen a judge charge for a jury but I have seen a judge that told the defendant he would send them to jail if he chose to take the case to trial and was found guilty. Instead the guy pled guilty and was given probation, since he didn't ask for a trial.

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