[glorgau]

IANAL but it sounds like a plausible legal theory.

[Milton Miteybad]

Really? When they're offering community service alternatives and payment plans (which is something most cities/counties offer in one form or another?)

They don't really want to lock anybody up. That costs the city or county money. What you probably have are people who never bothered to communicate with the judge's office about a payment plan or any alternative, so the city/county issues warrants for their arrest. Then the defendants claim indigence and wail about being locked up in a debtors' prison, when they could have avoided it all merely by making (and adhering to) some kind of payment arrangement with the city or county.