Debtors prison has been banned in the U.S long ago and considered unconstitutional since the start of the bankruptcy laws but local courts across the country are still using this practice as a way of incarcerating poor and poverty stricken individuals that are unable to pay court fines and fees. The American Civil Liberties Union has done a great job with getting some states to reform but states like Pennsylvania have counties that are far from reform. Local courts will hold a person in contempt for violating an order to pay, sometimes knowing that they have no way of paying so they are given jail time instead. Often times there are no incidents of criminal activity, but they are imprisoned like a criminal because they are poverty stricken.
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