Jailed for $ 280. The Return of Debtors' Prisons

CBS Money Watch ^ | April 23, 2012 | Alain Sherter

[pierrem15]

There are only two ways I have seen anyone escape a student loan debt: a) total disability; b) leave the country and never return.

And under (a), you will receive a 1099 for forgiveness of debt, and then the IRS will pursue you for the taxes.

[WMarshal]

The way that you are siding with law enforcement makes me think that you are either a LEO or a judge/lawyer. The net result is the same. These people are going to jail for not being able to pay debt. One of the reasons I am still married is because I have told my wife in no uncertain terms that I will not be a slave to the courts. I told here I would leave the country as an expat before I ever got caught up in the legal system after a divorce. I would leave the country before the divorce process even started.

[expat2]

If you NEED to use a credit card to buy food, there is a problem (tho’ food should have higher priority for CC use than new clothes or Nike shoes, I think). However, many of us use the credit card to buy food because it is simpler, and pay off our CC accounts in full every month.

[expat2]

Debts to the Govt. get special treatment. Try to stop paying a debt to the IRS...

[Lazamataz]

This is an abusive mess of the courts. We have a civil court system in which the worst that can AND SHOULD be able to happen to you is forfeiture of items, liens on accounts, and garnishments of wages. CRIMINAL PENALTIES SUCH AS JAIL SHOULD NEVER APPLY, even if you don’t show up for court. In that event, if you don’t show up, there could be an immediate and default judgement, BUT NEVER A JAILING.

This will be used against ordinary Americans to round-up and destroy us, folks. Comon, figure this stuff out.

[Theoria]

Why? Because we had a process called bankruptcy. If you didn't pay the debt, you went bankrupt. Now student loans can never be discharged.

For colleges that's pretty cool. Now, they can increase the tuition, knowing that a student is liable for any loans for the rest of their life. Cool huh?

College tuition would radically drop if their was no Gov't grants, loans, etc. But, if a college knows they will eventually get paid they have no incentive to lower prices.

[rockrr]

Exactly.

[cicero2k]

They aren’t going to jail for not paying debt. They are going to jail for not showing up to court. BIG DIFFERENCE?

Thanks for posting.

Pretty soon, I'm just going to ignore such salcious stories and posts because all too often; these details are left out of the headline.

[RipSawyer]

“free democratic republic”
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

No such thing exists anywhere, we once had a constitutional republic but a free democratic republic sounds to me like a contradiction in terms. Yes, I know how the term is used everywhere but when I think about it it still sounds like a contradiction.

[DannyTN]

The first two definitions at dictionary.com under Direct used as an adjective apply.

[G Larry]

“She got a $280 medical bill in error and was told she didn’t have to pay it,”

Somebody is liable for the cause of her false arrest.

Future bill paying should be easy.

[Lazamataz]

Okay, upon reading the article, the best they seem to come up with (besides Illinois) is a few cases where people didn't pay their fines for CRIMINAL convictions.

Yep, lookos like the article lies.

Again.

When will I ever learn?

[absolootezer0]

Know a guy whose alimony/child support was set at an income he was earning when he was making great money as a builder. Since the bottom fell out, he still has to pay the same amount. Since he can’t, he spends his nights and weekends in jail.

yet when the mother goes up in income, the "support" doesn't go down. but when she goes down or loses her job.. courts are all over it to get her "support" increased.

[G Larry]

Exactly what is it that makes you believe you have a “right” to file bankruptcy, to avoid your responsibilities?

“Of course, our corrupt Congress made it impossible for students to walk away from education loans and nearly impossible to clear up medical bills and other debt by filing for bankruptcy.”

[redgolum]

Question then.
Do you believe in any sort of bankruptcy protection?

[DannyTN]

"They aren’t going to jail for not paying debt. They are going to jail for not showing up to court. BIG DIFFERENCE"

More likely they are going go jail for not paying the legal fees that were court ordered after they failed to pay the debt in the first place. Or they are going to jail for failing to pay court ordered child support. Both are debts, but once it becomes ordered by the court and you still can't pay it you go to jail for contempt of court.

[sthguard]

I’d rather get rid of bankruptcy laws altogether. They’re just fancy welfare.

[sthguard]

And if you went bankrupt, then someone still had to cover the costs. Life is not a game of Monopoly.

As to college tuition, you are drastically oversimplifying things. College is not expensive simply because there’s lots of financial aid available. Salaries, facility costs, administration, regulations, etc all drive tuition up as well.

[Theoria]

Yes, and those salaries and other costs would be limited because of less grants, and other forms of aid from Gov't! See the cycle?

As for bankruptcy, yes the loss is factored in. And it happens everyday. Bankruptcy is one of the reasons America has a great innovative economy.

[cicero2k]

Correct. Unless your name is Bill Clinton, you go to jail for contempt of the legal process.