Debtors' Prisons Archives - Page 15 of 15 - Fines and Fees Justice Center

Court Debt and Related Incarceration in Rhode Island from 2005 through 2007

Rhode Island’s most frequent cause of incarceration is court debt, which not only causes inefficient use of state finances, but disrupts people’s lives. To determine the extent to which incarceration …

Thomas v. City of Gulfport

Harrison County Jail was a modern day debtors’ prison. Officers went to predominantly African American neighborhoods arbitrarily checking people to see if they had paid their court fines and fees.

Ohio Revised Code 2947.14: Hearing on ability to pay fine

This statute details the procedural protections owed to defendants in instances of nonpayment of fines and fees. It also establishes explicit limits for nonpayment incarceration.

Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure: Rule 26.11: Fines and restitution.

This rule guides Alabama courts' decision-making processes for ordering restitution and fines, including for failure to pay.

Bearden v. Georgia

In Bearden v. Georgia, the Supreme Court held that courts may only revoke probation and/or sentence the defendant to imprisonment if the defendant willfully refused to pay.