It's called "pay or stay:" jailing people who can't afford to pay a fine.
It's a controversial issue nationwide. Critics say pay or stay sentencing has created a 21st-century version of debtors' prisons.
In May of 2016, the Michigan Supreme Court announced rule changes designed to keep people out of jail just because they cannot pay court fines. But a Bridge Magazine investigationfinds that's exactly what's happening in the weekly collections docket at the 36th District Court in Detroit.
Journalist Sarah Alvarez wrote the article and joined Stateside to talk about what she found about the inner workings of the 36th District Court.
Listen to the full interview above to hear how Detroit's bankruptcy contributed to this problem and how much of a burden it is on taxpayers to keep people in jail for not paying fines.
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