Donyale Thomas is a 36-year-old woman with three children who relies on food stamps and disability payments. She has been jailed several times since she was a teenager for inability to pay court fines and fees. In 2011, she was a passenger in car, officers asked for her ID, and then arrested her because of her unpaid fines. Ms. Thomas was in the Ferguson jail for over a week before the City informed her that they would accept $200 for her release. Ms. Thomas suffered from severe anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. The jail staff refused to give her medication and placed her in a cell with one bed and three women. During one of her times in jail, she attempted to commit suicide with her brassiere. Ms. Thomas lives in constant fear of being jailed for her inability to pay court fines and fees.
