Back on September 12, as part of my American Theocracy series, I suggested in a closing note that "workhouses" would be reestablished. My thought was that, if voters allow the American Theocracy to be realized, workhouses were something to be expected IN THE FUTURE.
Unfortunately, in an article posted on TruthOut yesterday, something akin to workhouses -- debtor's prisons -- already seems to be coming back into vogue!
Unfortunately, in an article posted on TruthOut yesterday, something akin to workhouses -- debtor's prisons -- already seems to be coming back into vogue!
Two reports published by NYU's Brennan Center for Justice and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reveal a rising trend of patently unconstitutional practices in cash-strapped states, where a growing number of impoverished people are jailed for being unable to pay their legal fees - including charges for use of public defenders, a guaranteed right in the United States. The resurgence of these draconian "debtors' prisons" has been documented in at least 13 of the 15 states with the largest prison populations in the country, including California, Arizona, Michigan and Alabama.My goodness. It looks like the new American Theocracy has already arrived!
"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 ACLU senior staff attorney Eric Balaban.
Many states view the fees as a method for helping to alleviate budget deficits...
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ReplyDeletehttp://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2009/05/click-it-or-ticket-insanity-10-of.html
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Click It or Ticket Insanity; 10% of Texans Have Arrest Warrants
The February issue of Car and Driver includes a story describing how many jurisdictions are giving more traffic tickets as a revenue booster during tough financial times.
In Texas, to my mind, we've already taken this strategy about as far as it can go, to the point that, right now, more than 10% of Texas adults have outstanding arrest warrants - mostly for traffic tickets.
Dallas County represents perhaps the most extreme example of this trend in Texas. According to the Dallas Morning News ("Dallas county to vote on withholding vehicle registrations for those who owe fines," Feb. 9), "Unlike most counties, Dallas County gets slightly more than half of its annual revenue from fines and fees. Other counties rely more heavily on property-tax revenue."
[....]
A couple of weeks ago, the local paper printed names of El Pasoans with outstanding arrest warrants. 78,000 El Pasoans made the paper! What’s going on here?
Here are the facts. Of the 78,000 almost all are for moving violations. When we compared Austin, same story: 11% of Austin has outstanding arrest warrants.
Nearly one in ten Texans can’t pay: students, single mothers, working families, essentially low and even middle income Texans whose income can’t keep up with gas, insurance, taxes and tickets too.
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also, i can't find the link to the story, but i believe the original source was linked to by the blogger http://dogobarrygraham.blogspot.com/, about a city somewhere making it illegal to share food in the city park with anyone who was not personally known to you. in other words, it's now illegal to share food with any of the poor or homeless people in the parks in that jurisdiction.
"In its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets and steal a loaf of bread." -- Anatole France, 1894
--sgl
holy shit, thanks for alerting me to this, i had no idea it was happening
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