4 ms·
If you are fined $20,000 for a thing and are unable to pay, you end up in a prison and are forced to work off your debt. This is functionally what debtors pris
by rtpg 7y ago
If you are fined $20,000 for a thing and are unable to pay, you end up in a prison and are forced to work off your debt.
This is functionally what debtors prisons were used for
From the wiki summary:
> Destitute persons who were unable to pay a court-ordered judgment would be incarcerated in these prisons until they had worked off their debt via labour or secured outside funds to pay the balance
- wutbrodo 7y agoHuh, TIL, for some reason I always thought they were for general debt.
- SamReidHughes 7y agoYYDL, actually. They were for general debt.
- rtpg 7y agoThis would actually happen. Usually the person you owe money to would drag you to court and then get you thrown in a debtors prison. I guess my point was that you could end up there for civil or criminal things.
- JamesBarney 7y agoSay I did a bunch of work for your company. And you stiff me for $10,000. I can't just go immediately seize your back account. I first have to establish in the court of law that you owe me money. So I'd sue you and the judge would award me $10,000. But he would award me the $10,000 as court ordered judgement which is the legal instrument that proves you owe me money. So that line doesn't mean quite what you think it means.