Evidently in at least one town in Alabama it is SOP to arrest people for failing to pay their garbage bill. Now to be precise, both jail sentences came after failing to appear at a trial for failure to pay. But still, that seems pretty bad. Here is one from late 2022:
www.cbs42.com
I see a second case happened just a couple of days ago though the SPLC had it thrown out, and asked the court to stop the town from jailing people in the future.
I get the town wants their money, but we don't really have debtor's prison. Especially not for under $100. Unless they committed fraud, the IRS would not put them in jail.
In this second case, the person had to pay $285 to a bail bondsman. Having someone who can't afford their $75 trash bill pay $285 doesn't seem particularly productive. I can't figure out why a law exists that elevates this from a civil matter. Here is the more recent case:
‘You ought to be ashamed’: 82-year-old Alabama woman says arrest over $77 trash bill was unjust, unnecessary
“How would you feel if they came and arrested your grandmama,” she asked the officer.
www.cbs42.com
I see a second case happened just a couple of days ago though the SPLC had it thrown out, and asked the court to stop the town from jailing people in the future.
I get the town wants their money, but we don't really have debtor's prison. Especially not for under $100. Unless they committed fraud, the IRS would not put them in jail.
In this second case, the person had to pay $285 to a bail bondsman. Having someone who can't afford their $75 trash bill pay $285 doesn't seem particularly productive. I can't figure out why a law exists that elevates this from a civil matter. Here is the more recent case:
