Star Tribune story on people being put in jail by debt collectors

Over the weekend, the Star Tribune ran a story about people that have been put in jail by debt collectors. As I’ve written about in the past, these people are not being put in jail for not paying their debts. Instead, they’re being jailed for not filling out a court-mandated form or for not appearing at a court hearing. But as the story points out, the problem is that many of these people: (a) never received the court forms or notices; or (b) had no idea that they could go to jail if they didn’t follow the rules.

This is yet another example of debt collectors using court rules to bully and intimidate people to make a buck. And while I agree that there should be penalties for not following court rules, this is going too far. No one should end up in jail from a debt collection case. Ever. Period. End of story.

In jail for being in debt | Star Tribune | June 9, 2010
Is jailing debtors the same as debtors jail? | Star Tribune | June 9, 2010
What to know: Avoiding warrants | Star Tribune | June 9, 2010
Top five companies using debt arrest warrants | Star Tribune | June 9, 2010

(photo: mksfly)