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June 13, 2014

Woman Dies in Cell While Serving 2-Day Sentence for Fines from Children's Truancy 
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In Berks County, Pennsylvania, a mother of seven has died in a jail cell
while serving a two-day sentence over fees related to her children's
absence from school. Eileen Di Nino, age 55, was jailed after failing to
pay $2,000 in fines and court costs. The AP reports her file included a
"laundry list of court fees for one case alone," including charges like
"postage." Police say Di Nino's death was not suspicious, but the cause
remains unknown. According to the Reading Eagle newspaper, more than
1,600 people have been jailed for truancy fines in Berks County alone
since 2000 — two-thirds of them women.

 

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