Originally posted by president
Will it ever be possible for the police to arrest you for owing a private institution like a bank, or a school, or a store like Wal-Mart the way they can arrest you for owing tax money to the government?

In 1833 the United States abolished Federal imprisonment for unpaid debts,[4] and most states outlawed the practice around the same time.[5][6] Before then, the use of debtor's prisons was widespread; signatories to the Declaration of Independence, James Wilson & Robert Morris were both later incarcerated, as were 2,000 New Yorkers annually by 1816. Henry Lee III, better known as Light-Horse Harry Lee, a Revolutionary War general, former governor of Virginia, and father of Robert E. Lee, was imprisoned for debt between 1808 and 1809.[7] Sometimes, imprisonment would result from less than sixty-cents worth of debt.[8] It is still possible to be incarcerated for debt, though this may be unconstitutional unless the court finds that the debtor actually possesses the means to pay.[9][10] The constitutions of the U.S. states of Tennessee and Oklahoma forbid civil imprisonment for debts.[11]