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A comment on Think Debtors Prisons Are a Thing of the Past? Not in Mississippi. Parent comment

Re:Think Debtors Prisons Are a Thing of the Past? Not in Mis... by wavefunction on Saturday January 11, 2020 @11:19PM (#22024449)
I will expand upon your point. Debt in this case is a civil matter between two private individuals. The State has an interest only, if that, in enforcing court decisions such as garnishment of wages or liens. To sentence someone to jail or prison for the crime of a civil disagreement is sick and wrong and I invite you (abstract yous) to prove me wrong via rhetoric.
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Re:Think Debtors Prisons Are a Thing of the Past? Not in Mis... by TomMckenny on Saturday January 11, 2020 @11:51PM (#22024564)
These people had no wage garnishment, instead they were sentenced to forced labor. Why the difference? Because they are poor.

And the line between civil and criminal is often drawn in a peculiar way: Repeat copyright violation enough and somehow it's criminal not civil, but systematically fail to pay artists their royalties it remains civil forever. Embezzling $1000 is criminal, keeping $1000 out of an employee paycheck is a civil.

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Re:Think Debtors Prisons Are a Thing of the Past? Not in Mis... by toasterlovin on Saturday January 11, 2020 @11:44PM (#22024534)
According to the information in this thread, the amount owed was for a criminal conviction for embezzlement. This is not about a contract between private parties.
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Re:Think Debtors Prisons Are a Thing of the Past? Not in Mis... by underdown on Saturday January 11, 2020 @11:50PM (#22024556)
"People sent to the centers had been sentenced for felonies but didn’t commit violent crimes, according to the program rules. "
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