In the United States, debtors’ prisons were banned under federal law in 1833. A century and a half later, in 1983, the Supreme Court affirmed that incarcerating indigent debtors was unconstitutional ...

Unlock the Debtor’s Prison of Student Loans. Filing bankruptcy on student loans is possible, but few can afford the expense and even fewer get relief. Many, or all, ...

This history is crucial not only in understanding the debtors’-prison crisis, but also in understanding the pattern of racial disparity that characterizes the region.

The new debt prisons are not just metaphorical. Criminal justice debt also lands many in actual jail or prison. In 1983, the Supreme Court ruled that jailing indigent debtors violated the 14th ...

About $220,000 of the debt was accumulated for law school at J.D. Widener University/Delaware Law School, after she was already $22,000 in debt from a Master’s at Seton Hall.

Paying their debt to society. The concept of a debtors’ prison can be understood through the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery, except as a punishment for a ...

About $220,000 of the debt was accumulated for law school at J.D. Widener University/Delaware Law School, after she was already $22,000 in debt from a Master’s at Seton Hall.

Well, it should. Congress abolished debtors' prisons in 1833. Key Takeaways. No, debt collectors cannot have you arrested for unpaid credit card debt.