4 ms·

I'm genuinely not kidding, as a non-American who has some family living in US, some of that just sounds absolutely bizarre. However I'm not that sure about its

by kredd 3y ago

I'm genuinely not kidding, as a non-American who has some family living in US, some of that just sounds absolutely bizarre. However I'm not that sure about its intricacies. But keep in mind, going to prison for having debt is also a thing in the states. So not paying up your dues can eventually roll you back into the system. But yeah, pay-to-stay imprisonment is a thing - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay-to-stay_(imprisonment) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay-to-stay_(imprisonment).

rootusrootus 3y ago
> going to prison for having debt is also a thing in the states LOL no, except for some narrow definition of debt which only counts criminal activity. Foreigners are so credulous when it comes to what they hear about the US.
- kredd 3y ago
  I did very quick Googling, and my memory was based on reading these two [1] [2], I'm not entirely sure how are these correlated to criminal activities. Obviously, it's all nuanced and depends on each state, but don't mind being corrected: [1] https://www.npr.org/2020/01/16/797098376/investigation-finds-mississippis-restitution-centers-act-like-debtors-prisons https://www.npr.org/2020/01/16/797098376/investigation-finds... [2] https://www.dw.com/en/a-world-of-debt-over-300-trillion-and-counting/a-67204039 https://www.dw.com/en/a-world-of-debt-over-300-trillion-and-... - part about the woman in Missisipi
  - rootusrootus 3y ago
    Annita Husband was imprisoned for embezzlement and placed under the supervision of a restitution center until she completed that. Her debt, as it were, was to the State of Mississippi. Similar with the other example. These are people who are required to have a job so they can pay restitution, and if they refuse to get a job they can be imprisoned as one possible punishment. Regular people who are in debt do not face debtor's prison in the US, this is not a feature of the bankruptcy courts. Debtors prisons were more common in the distant past, and especially a thing in Europe.
    - kredd 3y ago
      I’m sorry, but if you’re forced to stay at a place until you pay off your debt, how is that “not a debt prison”? You can call it “restitution center”, but… c’mon. They’re not being sent there because of their other crimes, but specifically because they need to pay off their debt. I’m not saying they’re going into a supermax or something, but their freedom is actively being restricted, because they have not paid their debt.
      - stonogo 3y ago
        These people stole that money. Paying it back is part of their sentence. A sentence for a criminal act. The criminal act of theft, or embezzlement. They are, in fact, being "sent there because of their other crimes." If they had taken out loans for that money and failed to pay it back, they would not be in this situation, they'd just have shitty credit ratings.
      - rootusrootus 3y ago
        Restitution is not borrowed money. That's a pretty important distinction. Calling it debt may be strictly correct but it comparing it to consumer debt is disingenuous.

by kredd 3y ago

rootusrootus 3y ago

> going to prison for having debt is also a thing in the states LOL no, except for some narrow definition of debt which only counts criminal activity. Foreigners are so credulous when it comes to what they hear about the US.

kredd 3y ago
I did very quick Googling, and my memory was based on reading these two [1] [2], I'm not entirely sure how are these correlated to criminal activities. Obviously, it's all nuanced and depends on each state, but don't mind being corrected: [1] https://www.npr.org/2020/01/16/797098376/investigation-finds-mississippis-restitution-centers-act-like-debtors-prisons https://www.npr.org/2020/01/16/797098376/investigation-finds... [2] https://www.dw.com/en/a-world-of-debt-over-300-trillion-and-counting/a-67204039 https://www.dw.com/en/a-world-of-debt-over-300-trillion-and-... - part about the woman in Missisipi
- rootusrootus 3y ago
  Annita Husband was imprisoned for embezzlement and placed under the supervision of a restitution center until she completed that. Her debt, as it were, was to the State of Mississippi. Similar with the other example. These are people who are required to have a job so they can pay restitution, and if they refuse to get a job they can be imprisoned as one possible punishment. Regular people who are in debt do not face debtor's prison in the US, this is not a feature of the bankruptcy courts. Debtors prisons were more common in the distant past, and especially a thing in Europe.
  - kredd 3y ago
    I’m sorry, but if you’re forced to stay at a place until you pay off your debt, how is that “not a debt prison”? You can call it “restitution center”, but… c’mon. They’re not being sent there because of their other crimes, but specifically because they need to pay off their debt. I’m not saying they’re going into a supermax or something, but their freedom is actively being restricted, because they have not paid their debt.
    - stonogo 3y ago
      These people stole that money. Paying it back is part of their sentence. A sentence for a criminal act. The criminal act of theft, or embezzlement. They are, in fact, being "sent there because of their other crimes." If they had taken out loans for that money and failed to pay it back, they would not be in this situation, they'd just have shitty credit ratings.
    - rootusrootus 3y ago
      Restitution is not borrowed money. That's a pretty important distinction. Calling it debt may be strictly correct but it comparing it to consumer debt is disingenuous.