TV News LIES

Friday, Jul 18th

Last update07:37:31 AM GMT

You are here News Domestic (USA) Thrown in jail for being poor: the booming for-profit probation industry

Thrown in jail for being poor: the booming for-profit probation industry

E-mail Print PDF

Thomas BarrettMany poor Americans face jail when they can’t pay steep fines for nonviolent crimes, like $1,000 for stealing a $2 beer

Thomas Barrett of Georgia sold his own blood plasma twice a week to raise money for the probation fees he owed a for-profit firm.

In January 2013, Clifford Hayes, a homeless man suffering from lupus and looking for a night off the streets, walked into the sheriff’s office in Augusta, Georgia. It was a standard visit: he needed police clearance, a requirement of many homeless shelters, to stay overnight at the Salvation Army.

Hayes expected to go straight to the shelter. Instead, he was handcuffed and later thrown in jail. Hayes hadn’t committed a crime – or at least, he hadn’t in many years since 2007, when he committed several driving-related misdemeanor offenses, for which he pled guilty and was put on probation. That probation left him $2,000 in debt for court fines – and fees he was supposed to pay to a private company the state hired to monitor him until his probation ended.

Hayes needed to pay $854 to the court to avoid a jail sentence; because he had no money except a $730-a-month disability check, he was thrown in Richmond County lockup.

The cost to taxpayers of Hayes’ eight-month jail sentence: $11,500, according to Georgia court documents.

More...


Most Recent Related Stories...


Explosion at LA law enforcement training facility kills three people

Explosion in LA kills 3An explosion at a law enforcement training facility in Los Angeles has killed three people with...

Coca-Cola defends corn syrup after Trump claims he struck cane sugar deal

Regular cokeCoca-Cola offers no confirmation of recipe change, saying corn syrup is safe and widely used in...

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to end in 2026 as CBS cancels show

Colbert aand former New Zealand PMThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been cancelled and will end in May, with network...

Connie Francis, 'Pretty Little Baby' singer, dies at 87

Connie FrancisSinger Connie Francis, best known for her 1962 song "Pretty Little Baby" and hits like "Everybody's...
 
America's # 1 Enemy
Tee Shirt
& Help Support TvNewsLIES.org!
TVNL Tee Shirt
 
TVNL TOTE BAG
Conserve our Planet
& Help Support TvNewsLIES.org!
 
Get your 9/11 & Media
Deception Dollars
& Help Support TvNewsLIES.org!
 
The Loaded Deck
The First & the Best!
The Media & Bush Admin Exposed!