This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Debtor's prison is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
A debtors' prison is a prison for those who are unable to pay a debt. Prior to the mid 19th century debtors' prisons were a common way to deal with unpaid debt.1
Contents |
Medieval Europe
During Europe's Middle Ages, debtors, both men and women, were locked up together in a single large cell, until their families paid their debt.2 Debt prisoners often died of disease contracted from other debt prisoners. Conditions included starvation and abuse from other prisoners. If the father of a family was imprisoned for debt, the family business often suffered while the mother and children fell into poverty. Unable to pay the debt, the father often remained in debt prison for many years. Some debt prisoners were released to become serfs or indentured servants (debt bondage) until they paid off their debt in labor.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the Debtors Act 1869 abolished imprisonment for debt, although debtors who had the means to pay their debt, but did not do so, could still be incarcerated for up to six weeks.
Debtors' prisons varied in the amount of freedom they allowed the debtor. With a little money, a debtor could pay for some freedoms; some allowed inmates to conduct business and receive visitors; others (for example, the Fleet and King's Bench Prisons) even allowed inmates to live a short distance outside the prison — a practice known as the 'Liberty of the Rules' — and the Fleet even tolerated clandestine 'Fleet Marriages'.
Some debtors prisons were less fortunate, being sent to prisons with a mix of criminals. Petty criminals, debtors, vicious criminals, convicts and many more were confined into a single cell.
The father of the English author Charles Dickens was sent to one of these prisons (Marshalsea Prison), which were often described in Dickens' novels.
Notable UK debtors' prisons
- Coldbath Fields Prison, London
- Fleet Prison, London
- Giltspur Street Compter, London
- King's Bench Prison, London
- Marshalsea Prison, London
- Poultry Compter, London
- Wood Street Counter, London
United States
In 1833 the United States reduced the practice of imprisonment for debts at the federal level. Most states followed suit. It is still possible, however, to be incarcerated for debt: debts of fraud, child-support, alimony, or release fines can land a citizen in jail or prison, or prevent one’s release. In the state of Tennessee, the Tennessee State Constitution forbids civil imprisonment for debts. Under the Child Support Recovery Act, 1992,4 parents who don't pay child support are subject to criminal penalties, including prison.
Notable US debtor's prisons
- Debtors' Prison (Accomac, Virginia)
- Debtors' Prison (Worsham, Virginia)
- Debtors' Prison (Tappahannock, Virginia)
See also
- Debt bondage
- Poor Law
- Poorhouse
- Sponging-house
- Bankruptcy
- The Province of Georgia in the colonial United States, was originally intended to be settled by debtors.
Notes
- ^ Cory, Lucinda. "A History Perspective on Bankruptcy", On the Docket, Volume 2, Issue 2, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Rhode Island, April/May/June 2000, retrieved December 20, 2007.
- ^ http://www.articlesdepo.com/loans/56618.php
- ^ --~~~~hi you doing hahahaha --~~~~
- ^ http://www.apfn.org/THEWINDS/1999/02/deadbeat_dads.html
External links
 |
This economics or finance-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 |
This history article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 3 December 2008, at 03:05.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Debtor's prison".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.