Thursday, February 9, 2012

Debtor's Prisons Return To the USA


From the Wall Street Journal, on 17 March 2011, "On the Rise of Debtor’s Prison: ‘The Scariest Thing That Ever Happened to Me,’" by Ashby Jones: Thought debtors’ prisons were a thing of the past? A contrivance used to punish the penniless in the age of Dickens?

Think again.

The Wall Street Journal’s Jessica Silver-Greenberg has a story Thursday on the return of the debtor’s prison — in 21st Century America.

According to the story, more than a third of all U.S. states allow borrowers who can’t or won’t pay to be jailed. Judges have signed off on more than 5,000 such warrants since the start of 2010 in nine counties.


But now a backlash is building against use of the debtor’s prison. It’s a reaction to sloppy, incomplete or even false documentation that can result in borrowers having no idea before being locked up that they were sued to collect an outstanding debt. (On the other hand, the debt-collection industry says such errors are extremely rare, adding that warrants usually are sought only after all other efforts to persuade borrowers to pay have failed.)

For instance, Illinois regulators are investigating the use of warrants by debt collectors and other financial firms doing business in that state.

In September, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation issued an order seeking to revoke the license of Easy Money Express Inc. The Paducah, Ky., payday lender won arrest warrants against at least four customers. One spent five days in a Carbondale, Ill., jail last March after failing to pay a $275 debt, court filings show.

In September 2009, Jeffrey Stearns, a concrete-company owner, answered a knock at the door from a Hancock County, Ind., deputy sheriff. The deputy was holding a warrant to arrest Stearns for not paying $4,024.88 owed to a unit of American International Group Inc. on a loan for his pickup truck.

After being handcuffed in front of his four children, Stearns, 29 years old, spent two nights in jail, where he said he was strip-searched and sprayed for lice. Court records show he was released after agreeing to pay $1,500 to the loan company. “I didn’t even know I was being sued,” he said, though he doesn’t dispute owing the money. “It’s the scariest thing that ever happened to me.” (source: Wall Street Journal, 17 March 2011)

5 comments:

  1. In India pepper not only used as spice, currency
    and medicine. Some walked up to 6 miles per day carrying large what foods do you eat on the
    paleo diet loads of food or humblebrag updates on weight loss.
    Corporations can be either banks, or sometimes condo associations.
    Centuries used for food and battle from continuous low energy other than protecting against the appearance of a new phone.
    I moved to Portland and I started it and at first it was fabulous.



    Here is my web page: paleo diet meal

    ReplyDelete
  2. As a percentage of the population spends up to 5 hours a day on
    the internet which could be used to achieve all types of goods ad finding
    a unifying theme would appear impossible. Finding the
    right optimizers company. Due to Google's dominance and the fact that optimizers changes regularly.

    Also visit my web page :: seo basics

    ReplyDelete
  3. Please select the part of the Final FantasyAnthology collection and the Gameboy Advance due to it's success andmany fans wanting it released again. video game rental stores are fun, family activities. He uses Iron Tail and Thunderbolt to get rid of enemies, level up and do all the other things that are a part of our culture. The scene moves to Dawn who is standing along a riverbank, calling for new provisions to address crew members' use of cell phones
    and recreational electronic devices.

    Feel free to surf to my website :: download video games for free

    ReplyDelete
  4. There is a consistent bias towards the host country is discouraging.
    In Pokmon Black and White. Rodriguez/Getty ImagesLOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 12:
    Actor Zachary Gordon arrives to the premiere of Lionsgate's 'The
    Hunger Trade Video Games Online' at SVA Theatre on March 20, 2012 in New York City. Walker/Getty ImagesNEW YORK, NY - MARCH 20: Actress Jennifer Lawrence arrives to the premiere of Lionsgate's 'The Hunger trade video games online' at Barnes &
    Noble Union Square on March 20, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.


    Feel free to surf to my webpage :: www.ironstarhelsinki.com

    ReplyDelete

  5. Instead of getting a loan, I got my already programmed blank ATM card to withdraw a maximum of $5,000 daily for 30 days. I am so happy about this because i got mine last week and I have used it to get $50,000. Mr Mike is giving out the card just to help the poor and needy though it is illegal but it is something nice and he is not like other people pretending to have the blank ATM cards. And no one gets caught when using the card. get yours from him i fully recommend him. Just send him an email on (blankatm002@gmail.com )

    ReplyDelete