The problem with this is the difficulty in qualifying under NEW bankruptcy laws..... and the money to afford the process!

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/return-debtors-prisons-collection-agencies-now-want-deadbeats-172417607.html

Collection Agencies Now Want Deadbeats Arrested

As if life wasn't already tense enough for Americans who can't pay their debts, collection agencies are now taking advantage of archaic state laws to have some debtors arrested and sent to jail.

More than one-third of US states allow debtors to be arrested and jailed, says Jessica Silver-Greenberg in the Wall Street Journal.

Judges typically grant arrest warrants when the debtors have failed to show up for court dates or failed to make court-ordered payments.

Of course, the reason debtors have failed to make court-ordered payments is often the same reason they didn't pay their debts in the first place: They don't have any money.

In September, a 53 year-old woman named Vivian Joy was stopped for a broken tail-light in Champaign, Illinois. And then, because the cops discovered that she still hadn't paid $2,200 to a collection agency, she was cuffed and carted off to jail.

Joy's excuse?

She doesn't have any money.

Jailing debtors for not paying their debts is apparently especially popular in Illinois.

(This practice, needless to say, is preposterous. If people can't pay their debts and have no prospect of being able to pay their debts, they should declare bankruptcy. And the debts should be written off. Companies don't go to jail when they default. Neither should people.)

That's hilarious. It'll never work.

I hate collection agencies.

I know that lack of payment of child support payments ordered by a court can result in jail.

But tax payers have to foot the bill for the jails and prisons.

Hey, there are homeless people out in the street that might love to get arrested and get a roof over their head and three meals a day.

Sorry, but you are disillusioned to think it won't work.

There is this little thing called "the rule of law", and if applied would be adhered to.

Just like insider trading in the Congress.... who will care .... if a few "deadbeats" go to jail, they're just criminals.... at least that would be the media spin?

Some laws simply do not make sense.

Putting people in Jail for owing money they cannot pay is ridiculous.

I was in that position once..declared Bankruptcy and I have been a happy Bunny ever since

I'm thinking during a major depression. You can't put everyone in jail.

Someone has to lock the door.

They of course can always bring back the days of indentured slaves, which is where it all could be going.

since you can't put anyone to Jail for having any money to pay a Debt,they just simply go around that,and throw them in Jail for allegedly disobeying an Order by a Judge to pay!
So miraculously it becomes "Jailed For Contempt Of Court"!
Amazing that any Judges even go along with that Travesty!

Well if the economy doesn't change soon prisons might need to be renamed no income efficiency's.

There is nothing cushy about being in prison.
I know homeless people here on the coast who would rather sleep in a tent on the beach than be in a cell...as would I.

But would they rather sleep on the concrete in the cold like many are being forced to do. Personally homeless would scare me more than 3 squares, a shower and heat. I would hate to have to choose, but I'm afraid many are.

I'm so concerned for people these days. Many who have had hard times thrown on them. I know you are too. Just hope we can figure out a way to make things more even and fair.

btw howdy, good to see you

nice to see you michael

I am concerned about people.
I posted the other day about the county i live in of 46,000 peeps having 471 homeless high schoolers...
this is alarming.

Well, having to choose between a cot and 3 meals or your freedom...
i'd choose freedom, even if i had to be cold and miss a meal.

"An unjust law is no law at all" - St Augustine

For a society to take away freedom from a member of that society, there should be a very good reason. For example: How is one to pay back the money owed from Prison? We already have a system in place for dealing with someone who owes you money and won't pay: the courts. Debtors should get sued and their salaries should be garnished. A simple tort reform to require that the loser pay the winners court costs (with a reasonable cap) would make it profitable to sue for even small debts. Currently, it's usually more expensive to try to get a debtor to pay, so they instead make collection calls or simply write the debt off.

This same reasoning should be applied to most crimes, prison should only be for the hardened criminal or violent offender.

I guess that depends on the prison. Some inmates become very comfortable in prison.

Remember the news story about Sue Lion who married a prison inmate in Canon City Colorado? I knew Sue and him and he did get released from prison and his big plan was to make a living playing poker and cheating. He couldn't make it in the world, so he decided to rob a bank and then he just gave up and let himself be arrested, plead guilty and went back to Prison where he was comfortable and safe. He had friends there.

Some people insist on freedom. Others just want a roof over their heads and three meals a day behind bars.

The problem with collection agencies I see is that they CHOOSE to buy these defaults, nobody is holding a gun to their heads and yet they want to be able to have people arrested for not paying them. Watch out for congress on this, most of em are in bed with these types of business,