The SPLC filed a judicial ethics complaint against Perry County (Alabama) Circuit Judge Marvin Wiggins after he required people unable to pay court fines to either donate blood or go to jail.
The complaint described how Wiggins threatened defendants in his court with jail on Sept. 17,...
The city of Alexander City, Alabama, operated a modern-day debtors’ prison for at least a decade by arresting and jailing low-income people unable to pay their fines and court costs for traffic tickets and misdemeanors.
In a town where almost 30 percent of the population lives below the...
The town is violating the rights of the poor with a practice outlawed almost 200 years ago.
Fewer Alabamians will see minor traffic fines turn into a nightmarish cycle of court debt and incarceration after dozens of municipalities cut ties with Judicial Correction Services and other private ‘probation’ companies.
Even with ruling, more than 6 million people will remain without coverage because states have refused to expand Medicaid coverage under the ACA.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver tackled the issue of modern-day debtors’ prisons by featuring the story of an SPLC client – a grandmother who ended up behind bars after struggling to pay traffic tickets.
Judicial Correction Services (JCS), a private probation company, collected money from impoverished Alabamians by threatening them with jail when they fell behind on paying fines from traffic violations or other citations in the city of Clanton. The Southern Poverty Law Center filed a federal lawsuit accusing JCS of violating federal racketeering laws.
The proposal by Tennessee’s governor to use Affordable Care Act money to pay for private insurance for low-income residents is a step in the right direction and an example for Southern states that have stubbornly refused to expand Medicaid for their most vulnerable citizens.
The SPLC has joined the AARP and the National Health Law Program in filing an amicus brief in a case that could determine whether millions of Americans will have access to health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
