VIDEO: Innocent Americans Are Being Jailed Because They’re Too Poor To Pay Rising Court Costs

Cities across the country are increasingly turning to what are known as private probation companies to collect unpaid fines. But are indigent people ending up in jail because they can’t afford to pay?

MintPress News Desk
By MintPress News Desk
Rural Counties Plight

Cities across the country are increasingly turning to what are known as private probation companies to collect unpaid fines. But are indigent people ending up in jail because they can't afford to pay? Since NewsHour Weekend's first story on this issue aired last spring, the Childersburg Municipal Court issued a “standing order” stating that “In no

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Louisiana Prisoners Sue State For Failing To Provide Mental Health Care

Six people found not guilty by reason of insanity are being held in parish jails. Their class action lawsuit reflects a broader national problem: far too many mentally ill people are being held in prison and not receiving the care they need.

Frederick Reese
By Frederick Reese
A prison guard on horseback watches inmates return from a farm work detail at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, La.

On Aug. 14, a class action lawsuit was filed against the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, alleging that six mentally ill prisoners had been denied access to psychiatric care despite being found not guilty by reason of insanity. The plaintiffs in the case claim that this denial of health care is a violation of their 14th Amendment right

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