After 'debtors' prison,' Alabama is a better place (al.com/Archibald)
By John Archibald | jarchibald@al.com
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on January 08, 2017 at 6:45 AM, updated January 08, 2017 at 6:46 AM
It should be clear by now. Crystal.
If your city expects its municipal court to make money, your city is run by imbeciles who have no business running a lemonade stand. If your city judges think they can simply jack up fines and toss you in jail if you can't pay, then the criminal is the one wearing the robe.
Crystal.
Time after time it has been decided in the last few years, since now-retired Circuit Judge Hub Harrington in Shelby County - like Amos in the Old Testament - began to point out the injustice of profiting from the poor and jailing the indigent for no other reason than they couldn't scrape up enough money to pay a traffic ticket.
Harrington rubbed the grime away for all to see. Cities all across Alabama used private probation companies to collect their fines, and many, like Harpersville, gave those companies power to punish people without trial or conviction.
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more: http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/01/after_debtors_prison_alabama_i.html
related post: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028520418
While these are Alabama stories, similar abuses certainly occur elsewhere, particular seisure of assets by law enforcement without due process, so I'm posting in GD.
ETA: Probably should have picked Editorials & Articles. Oh well.