Abstract
In 2013, the ACLU of Ohio released a report titled The Outskirts of Hope: How Ohio’s Debtors’ Prisons Are Ruining Lives and Costing Communities. The report exposed the blatantly unconstitutional practice in courts across Ohio of jailing people who were too poor to pay their court fines and fees, and along with our ongoing advocacy efforts, resulted in sweeping change across the state. This Essay looks at the destruction modern debtors’ prisons have on individuals, families, and communities and overviews the research, advocacy, and communications tools the ACLU of Ohio has used to successfully combat debtors’ prisons. The goal is to give an overview of the “Ohio Model” for combatting debtors’ prisons and to relay practical advice on launching similar campaigns in other states.
Recommended Citation
Jocelyn Rosnick & Mike Brickner,
The Ohio Model for Combatting Debtors' Prisons,
21
Mich. J. Race & L.
375
(2016).
Available at:
https://repository.law.umich.edu/mjrl/vol21/iss2/10
Included in
Civil Rights and Discrimination Commons, Courts Commons, Law and Race Commons, Law Enforcement and Corrections Commons