Shutting Down Debtors’ Prisons
strapping debt onto the backs of people involved in the legal system serves no one.
Although debtors’ prisons were banned in the U.S. in 1833, Equal Justice Under Law has uncovered modern-day debtors’ prisons that target people who are poor. Cities are unconstitutionally using local courts and jails to generate millions of dollars in profits off the backs of indigent residents.
Equal Justice Under Law has won settlements in Montgomery, Alabama; Jennings, Missouri; and Jackson, Mississippi that benefited thousands of class members, while other cases we’re tackling are on track to help thousands more.
“Privatization of our justice system prioritizes profits over people and violates constitutional rights.”
Arkansas - Easley v. Hot Spring County
DATE FILED: SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
Missouri - Fant v. City of Ferguson
Date Filed: february 8, 2015
Missouri - Jenkins v. City of Jennings
Date Filed: february 8, 2015
Alabama - Mitchell v. Montgomery
Date Filed: May 23, 2014
Louisiana - Cain v. City of New Orleans
Date Filed: September 21, 2015
