Resource: Unconstitutional Debtors' Prison Lawsuit: Santa Fe and Hitchcock

By: American Civil Liberties Union

November 3, 2016

ACLU of Texas

The ACLU of Texas’ lawsuit asks the court to protect individuals from being jailed for non-jailable offenses solely because they could not afford a payment. The lawsuit seeks to prohibit the police from jailing people who haven’t received a hearing or access to a lawyer. The lawsuit also highlights the starvation diet that Santa Fe feeds its prisoners and seeks a court order requiring the city to give its prisoners food meeting minimal nutritional requirements.

https://www.aclutx.org/en/cases/unconstitutional-debtors-prison-lawsuit-santa-fe-and-hitchcock