THE ACLU IN NEW HAMPSHIRE HAS RELEASED A REPORT
SHOWING THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT GET IMPRISONED BECAUSE THEY
ARE POOR, AND UNABLE TO PAY FOR
CITATIONS.
LET'S SAY THAT THEY ARE GUILTY OF A MOVING
VIOLATION, LIKE SPEEDING, OR RUNNING THROUGH A STOP SIGN, THEY
WILL GET A TICKET THAT COULD BE WORTH HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS.
IF
THEY CANNOT PAY FOR IT, THEY ARE UNFORTUNATELY IMPRISONED AS A
RESULT.
"A NEW REPORT FROM THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION
OF NEW HAMPSHIRE REVEALED THAT IN 2013, THE COURT SENT DEFENDANTS
TO JAIL IN LIEU OF A FINE IN AT LEAST 289 CASES."
AGAIN, THESE
ARE JUST PEOPLE WHO CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY THEIR TICKETS, AND
SO THEY GO TO JAIL.
ONE TRANSCRIPT INDICATES THAT A
HEARING OVER A CRIMINAL CASE STARTED AT 11:12 AM, AND
WAS OVER AND 11:13 AM.
IN LESS THAN NINETY SECONDS, ACCORDING
TO THE REPORT, THE JUDGE
ACCEPTED THE DEFENDANTS PLEA IN WHAT AMOUNTED TO A TRAFFIC
TICKET, FINING $100, PLUS AN ADDITIONAL COURT FEE, AND SENT
HIM TO JAIL TO PAY OFF THE FINE."
OFTEN TIMES IT HAPPENS,
IF YOU TELL THE JUDGE YOU DON'T HAVE THE MONEY, THE JUDGE WILL
GIVE YOU THE OPTION OF COMMUNITY SERVICE, OR YOU GO TO JAIL AND
YOU PAY BACK FIFTY DOLLARS A
DAY, EACH DAY YOU ARE IN JAIL.
EACH DAY IN JAIL EQUALS FIFTY
DOLLARS, AND YOU NEED TO GO AS LONG AS IT TAKES YOU TO PAY OFF
THE FINE.
BY THE WAY, IT ACTUALLY COSTS MORE MONEY FOR THE STATE TO
IMPRISON THESE PEOPLE.
IT COSTS $100 TO KEEP AN INMATE IN JAIL.
>> THIS IS DEBTORS PRISONS.
THIS USED TO HAPPEN, AND PEOPLE REVOLTED AGAINST IT.
THEY WERE SO MAD THAT YOU WOULD
GET PUT IN PRISON FOR BEING POOR.
WE ARE RIGHT BACK, WE
HAVE ROLLED THE CLOCK BACK OVER 100 YEARS.
SO, OF COURSE RICH PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO DEAL WITH THIS.
I GOT A TICKET?
GONE.
>> ITíS NEVER JUST $100.
THE FEES THAT ARE ADDED TO IT WILL INCREASE THE PRICE TO
$300 IN SOME CASES, SO IT REALLY DEPENDS ON WHAT THE COURT
FEES ARE.
THEY ACTUALLY COST MORE THAN THE PRICE OF THE VIOLATION ITSELF.
>> THAT SICKENING.
>> I AM GOING TO GIVE YOU ONE STORY THAT THEY PROFILED, THAT
REALLY STOOD OUT TO ME.
IT WAS ABOUT A TWENTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD
WOMAN WHO IS A SINGLE MOTHER.
SHE HAS TWO INFANTS.
THIS IS
GRAPHIC TWENTY-EIGHT, HER NAME
IS ALEJANDRA CORRO.
APPARENTLY SHE PLED GUILTY TO A REDUCED VIOLATION LEVEL
OFFENSE, AND WAS SENTENCED TO A FINE OF $1000,
WITH $500 OF THE FINE SUSPENDED ON THE CONDITION THAT SHE
NOT COMMIT ANY CRIMES FOR ONE YEAR.
THE CRIME SHE COMMITTED WAS SERIOUS, SHE STOLE MORE THAN
$600 WORTH OF MERCHANDISE FROM A SEARS BECAUSE SHE IS POOR,
AND HER KIDS NEEDED CLOTHING.
THAT IS STILL NOT AN EXCUSE, YOU SHOULD NOT BE STEALING FROM
ANY STORE.
SHE PLEADED GUILTY, AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED.
"ADDITIONALLY THERE WAS A ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY DOLLARS PENALTY
ASSESSMENT, BRINGING HER FINE TO $620."
WHAT ENDED UP HAPPENING WAS, SHE LET THE JUDGE KNOW THAT SHE
CANNOT PAY THAT FINE, IT IS TOO MUCH MONEY, SHE IS A SINGLE
MOM WITH TWO CHILDREN.
THE JUDGE SAID, THAT IS FINE, I AM GOING TO MAKE YOU DO
SIXTY-TWO HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE.
SHE DID ABOUT TWENTY HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE, AND THEN
HER HOUSE BURNED DOWN IN A FIRE AND SHE HAD NOWHERE TO LIVE.
SHE IS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO LIVE, EVENTUALLY
SHE ENDS UP IN HER MOTHER'S HOME.
SHE GOES BACK TO COURT AND SAYS, I WANT TO FINISH THE
COMMUNITY SERVICE, I KNOW I HAVE NOT FINISHED IT BY THE DUE
DATE, BUT GIVE ME MORE TIME AND I WILL FINISH IT.
THE JUDGE SAYS NO, NINE DAYS IN PRISON.
SHE GOT SENTENCED TO NINE DAYS,
THE ACLU GOT INVOLVED AND GOT HER OUT AFTER ONE DAY.
THIS IS WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE COUNTRY RIGHT NOW.
>> SINCE SHE STOLE SOMETHING I AM LESS OUTRAGED, BECAUSE SHE
COULD HAVE GOTTEN PRISON TIME
ANYWAY FOR THAT.
BUT WHEN IT IS A TRAFFIC TICKET, SOMETIMES
PARKING TICKETS SNOWBALL INTO A BIG DEAL.
SOMETIMES PARKING
TICKETS ARE SOLD TO PRIVATE CORPORATIONS.
THEY FINE YOU,
BUT TECHNICALLY YOU OWE THE GOVERNMENT BECAUSE THEY BOUGHT
IT OFF THE GOVERNMENT.
IT'S NOT A PRIVATE DEBT, WHICH YOU CANNOT
GO TO PRISON FOR, IT IS A PUBLIC DEBT.
YOU CAN GO TO PRISON FOR
THAT.
BECAUSE OF A PARKING TICKET, THEY THROW YOU IN JAIL.
THAT IS
CRAZY.
TRAFFIC TICKETS, THESE ARE THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT GO TO
JAIL FOR.
BY THE WAY, WHEN YOU ARE IN JAIL, A LOT OF TIMES THEY
HAVE YOU WORK AT PRISON WAGES.
FOR LESS THAN ONE DOLLAR AN
HOUR, AND THEN SOMEONE MAKES
MONEY OFF OF THAT.
AND IN SOME PLACES THERE ARE PRIVATE PRISONS, AND THEN
THEY MAKE MORE MONEY OFF OF THAT.
>> IT DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU END UP.
IF YOU ARE IN A COUNTY JAIL, YOU ARE UNLIKELY TO HAVE TO DO THAT.
IF YOU END UP WITH A LENGTHY PRISON SENTENCE, THEN YES,
YOU END UP WORKING FOR NO WAGE AT ALL, BASICALLY.
>> THE OVERALL POINT, DON'T GET ME WRONG, IT'S NOT LIKE, OKAY
THEY ARE GOING TO GRAB EVERYBODY UP AND IT IS GOING TO TURN INTO
SLAVE WAGES, THAT DOES HAPPEN ON A MACRO SCALE, UNFORTUNATELY
BECAUSE OF OUR WAR ON DRUGS, BUT IT IS NOT NECESSARILY A
CONSPIRACY.
THE REAL PROBLEM IS, THE DEVALUATION OF HUMAN
BEINGS.
THE JUDGES, AND THE
SYSTEM, DOESN'T SEE ALEJANDRA, OR THE OTHERS, AS PEOPLE WHO
WOULD BE IN THEIR FAMILY.
FOR THEM, IN THE JUDGE'S FAMILY, IF
SOMEONE WENT TO JAIL FOR NINE DAYS, IT WOULD BE LIKE, OH MY
GOD, PRISON FOR NINE DAYS, ARE YOU OKAY?
PEOPLE WHO COME INTO THEIR COURT WITH NO MONEY OR POWER,
DISPOSE OF THEM.
WHERE DO YOU BELONG?
PRISON, GO.
PRISON, PRISON, PRISON.
YOU DO A REAL CRIME, YOU SHOULD SERVE TIME.
BUT NOT FOR TRAFFIC TICKETS, NOT PARKING TICKETS, NOT FOR
NONSENSE LIKE THIS.
YOU CANNOT BRING BACK DEBTORS PRISONS.