In jail for being in debt

In jail for being in debt

www.startribune.com

As a sheriff's deputy dumped the contents of Joy Uhlmeyer's purse into a sealed bag, she begged to know why she had just been arrested while driving home to Richfield after an Easter visit with her elderly mother.

No one had an answer. Uhlmeyer spent a sleepless night in a frigid Anoka County holding cell, her hands tucked under her armpits for warmth. Then, handcuffed in a squad car, she was taken to downtown Minneapolis for booking. Finally, after 16 hours in limbo, jail officials fingerprinted Uhlmeyer and explained her offense -- missing a court hearing over an unpaid debt.

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 10-6-2010 by theability]

This is America? After reading the days news, being half bored I stumbled across this article and was about dropped to the floor.

Being locked up over a credit cards debt??? Is this America?

Without having to say I assume most the working class and the population has some sort of revolving credit, which is apart of life at times. Yet for the police to arrest you and incarcerate those who haven't paid in full seems a bit outside the rules and constitution.

Were do we live again? It seems in the little details that we find our true selves and the true nature of how drastic the country is taking a turn towards the negative.

www.startribune.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

source

I have no idea why the link is doing the above.

In jail over missing court. Missing court dates will get you in trouble no matter the charge.

All the more reason to bring back a God ordained concept. A year of Jubilee, or debt forgiveness.

reply to post by ghaleon12


But the court date was set over a debt collection and the individuals involved were not notified! Its kind of wrong.

reply to post by theability


Everytime a cop gets an arrest, it benefits their career, everytime a DA gets a conviction, it benefits their careers. The circumstances surrounding this does not matter.

Originally posted by theability
reply to post by ghaleon12

 

But the court date was set over a debt collection and the individuals involved were not notified! Its kind of wrong.

It has to be more than she just didn't pay a credit card. If she was just being sued by the debt collectors, you don't have to show up, they just get a default judgement. More than likely she was instead being charged with credit card fraud. I.e. she took the loans without any intention of paying them back.

reply to post by sligtlyskeptical

"The law enforcement system has unwittingly become a tool of the debt collectors," said Michael Kinkley, an attorney in Spokane, Wash., who has represented arrested debtors. "The debt collectors are abusing the system and intimidating people, and law enforcement is going along with it."

How often are debtors arrested across the country? No one can say. No national statistics are kept, and the practice is largely unnoticed outside legal circles. "My suspicion is the debt collection industry does not want the world to know these arrests are happening, because the practice would be widely condemned," said Robert Hobbs, deputy director of the National Consumer Law Center in Boston.

Still to be considered a court judgment you must first appear in court and have that "criminal or civil" issues prosed through. You cannot use the judicial system to collect debt for private corporations without first using due process!

reply to post by onequestion

Everytime a cop gets an arrest, it benefits their career, everytime a DA gets a conviction, it benefits their careers. The circumstances surrounding this does not matter.

I have to agree with you on the above.

Fascists seek to organize a nation on corporatist perspectives, values, and systems such as the political system and the economy.

en.wikipedia.org...

This is seems fascistic merger of corporate ( for example Resurgence Financial LLC) and government ( police and courts) to carry their bidding.

look at this quote from the source

The debts -- often five or six years old -- are purchased from companies like cellphone providers and credit card issuers, and cost a few cents on the dollar. Using automated dialing equipment and teams of lawyers, the debt-buyer firms try to collect the debt, plus interest and fees. A firm aims to collect at least twice what it paid for the debt to cover costs.

reply to post by secretstoshadow111


Star for you great addition to the thread.

Fascists seek to organize a nation on corporatist perspectives, values, and systems such as the political system and the economy.

Such a system would purchase debts and then use the "legal" system against those its suppose to protect??

I would have to agree that it has!

Originally posted by sligtlyskeptical

Originally posted by theability
reply to post by ghaleon12

 

But the court date was set over a debt collection and the individuals involved were not notified! Its kind of wrong.

It has to be more than she just didn't pay a credit card. If she was just being sued by the debt collectors, you don't have to show up, they just get a default judgement. More than likely she was instead being charged with credit card fraud. I.e. she took the loans without any intention of paying them back.

Nope that's exactly what they do...

You didn't read the article.

Nor have you been involved in one of these legal/lawful scams.

Consumers have every intention of paying back the debt.

Usually through no fault of their own ... They fall behind in payments and they must choose between daily essentials or paying their debt.

I was hounded by one of the worst debt collection agencies in MN...

After researching that law firm that was handling the collection I found that they were sharks at pursuing their prey.

After many instances on the phone with them demanding minimum payment; We declared bankruptcy.

Even when you try to work with them they refuse. The federal judge asked us why bankruptcy? I told them it was because of that one company/law firm.

Instead of getting a few thousand they were owed... They get NOTHING now.

And we wiped out ALL of our previous debts. Some were 10 years old.

Only way to find out sometimes is by getting your credit report.

They have nothing better to do than to file court judgements.

Give the court a signed letter declaring that you dispute the amount.

Fight them. Expect that you may need to do whatever it takes including bankruptcy. Many will deal with you. Some won't.

Perhaps, JUST PERHAPS, if you publish WHO is NOT dealing and forcing people into bankruptcy, the rest of the industry will gang up them.

Everyone looses in a bankruptcy.

EXCEPT afterward we are getting credit offers AGAIN. LOL

We need to get the dog a credit card.

A summons to court for not paying fines or whatever is NOT a request!! Its an ORDER that you follow. Regardless. Unless you have an excuse like you are dead or dying then you are failing to respond which is in itself a criminal offense.

What happens if all criminals had the choice of whether to attend or not??

Stupid thread. Its the LAW...end of!

Once in court she could then freely and within her rights defend herself and dispute or deny the claim or fine. Its simple. 16 hrs is nothing. I spent 9 weeks on remand before my trial which i was found not guilty...naturally. I still advocate this type of system. It work for the majority.

[edit on 10-6-2010 by C11H17N2NaO2S]

reply to post by C11H17N2NaO2S

What happens if all criminals had the choice of whether to attend or not??

Stupid thread. Its the LAW...end of!

How is it criminal to go to the lumber store buy $300 in goods on credit and loose your job and not be able to pay the bill?

Criminal? These days it is the America you live in!

reply to post by C11H17N2NaO2S


Even in law there are ethics, that are held above the law or in its absence.
A law might be a law but it could also be unethical. Is it ethical to jail someone for not paying there debts, that is debatable. Judges must make this decision, because they are allowed this interpretation. So i agree that you should show up to a court date to present your case, not just because it is a law but because not all laws are binding. I would also make the comment that corporate lawyers are using laws which have holes in them, that let them take advantage.

WE THE PEOPLE MAKE THE LAWS AND IF THEY ARE UNJUST WE MUST CHANGE THEM. NOT JUST FOLLOW THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE LAWS!!!

What is being done is getting a judgment against a person in court by the collection agency. The debt collector does not even have to show up. They have a regional representative that may represent many collection agencies and credit card companies. If they can not get you to appear in a local court after the judgment is set in order to figure a repayment plan, they get a court order for you to do so.

You have to be served by a Sheriff, constable, or authorized law enforcement FIRST. Ever seen the movies where they say "you are hereby served" ? You best show up in court to address the issues you have or as one poster above stated, FILE Bankruptcy. By the time a debt gets to this point you have very few options.

reply to post by secretstoshadow111

I would also make the comment that corporate lawyers are using laws which have holes in them, that let them take advantage.

Absolutely! I figure that lately as seen with the oil spill the coporations have taken then opportunity to use the money they make and use it against the ones that pay in the first place.
ohh this gives me a head ache!

Anyway, I hope this isn't the future for our police and judicial system.

Originally posted by C11H17N2NaO2S
A summons to court for not paying fines or whatever is NOT a request!! Its an ORDER that you follow. Regardless. Unless you have an excuse like you are dead or dying then you are failing to respond which is in itself a criminal offense.

What happens if all criminals had the choice of whether to attend or not??

I hate to agree with you but you hit the nail on the head. The OP is very misleading, because the debt was not the direct cause of arrest, I am a police officer and I have been charged before for missing a court date...no exceptions.

Secure

reply to post by theability

Absolutely! I figure that lately as seen with the oil spill the coporations have taken then opportunity to use the money they make and use it against the ones that pay in the first place. ohh this gives me a head ache!

Good example of this

www.networkworld.com...