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This week on "The State of Ohio": State lawmakers consider what they can do in the wake of the horrible and yet miraculous escape story out of Cleveland involving three women held prisoner in a house for a decade. New data shows more than half of all violent crimes are committed by a very small numbers of offenders. Lawmakers are now working to target that tiny group. And more thoughts on legislation that would dramatically change rules on unions in Ohio.
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| Debtors prisons may be illegal in reality, but they're basically in practice, says report. |
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By Jo Ingles - October 4, 2010 |
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Debtors prisons are unconstitutional in Ohio. State law requires anyone who does not pay a fine have a hearing to determine whether they are able to pay and if they can't, courts must explore other options. Courts are not allowed to imprison people who cannot afford to pay the fine. But James Hardiman with the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio says a new report by his organization shows poor people are being put in jail sometimes when they can't afford to pay their court costs. As one example, he talks about an Ohio woman who couldn't afford to pay a two hundred and fifty one dollar fine for a minor misdemeanor. |
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James Hardiman (:29) 
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| Hardiman says not only is that unconstitutional but it's a bad deal for taxpayers who ended up paying the bulk of that tab. He explains the report shows several similar examples throughout the state where Ohioans were imprisoned because they couldn't afford to pay the fine for minor misdemeanors or traffic tickets. |
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