Resource: Mitchell v. City of Montgomery

Unable to pay debt from traffic tickets, impoverished defendants were given the options of paying the debt immediately or sitting out their debt in jail at the rate of $50.00 a day. Those in jail were given the further option of performing janitorial services at the rate of $25.00 a day. No inquiry was made as to the defendant’s ability to pay. The complaint also highlights that the City contracted with a probation company and referred to debt collection as probation. Defendants placed on payment plan paid additional fees for the services of the probation company.