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June 22, 2016

Lawsuit Accuses Louisiana Judge of Running Modern-Day Debtors' Prison
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A new lawsuit accuses a judge and the city court in Bogalusa, Louisiana,
of running a modern-day debtors' prison. The Southern Poverty Law Center
says Judge Robert J. Black routinely orders people to jail for failing
to pay fines for minor offenses, like traffic violations, and charges
them so-called "extension fees" to avoid jail time. In one case, a man
found guilty of stealing $5 worth of food to feed his family was ordered
to pay a $450 fine, then jailed for four hours when he couldn't pay the
$50 "extension fee."


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