Debt is a crazy thing, and while laws vary state to state, there was a question that I was reading about the other day, and I thought I would set aside a few hours to explain the following:
Can you go to jail for not paying debt?
With a short answer, Im going to say, no, but lets take a look at why people think this. Youre going to find that if youre in debt, youre going to hear everything from debt collectors. You will hear everything from, Im a police officer getting ready to arrest you, all the way to Youre going to go to jail if you do this. These are just scare tactics, and while it is illegal, you will need to know what you can do about it. This is why I wrote up an article on debt harassment and your rights.
Failing to make your payments isnt considered a crime in the United States. Hence, you will not go to jail, if you didnt commit a crime. The last time a debt prison was in tact was back in the early 1800s. While it is crazy to think that people could go to jail, do you think it would actually set people to pay their bills on time?
How to pay your bills and avoid defaulting:
If you dont want to go to court, or have your wages garnished, youre going to want to either settle your debt in full with the collection agency (many will negotiate on a lower term), you will want to file bankruptcy, of if you wish, you can start paying it back in increments, which many will oblige to.
Are there any chances that you can go to jail?
There is only one way that you can go to jail for not paying your bills, and that is if you dont show up in court. While this is very rare, it can happen. You will want to make sure that you always show up for your court cases, as you will find that you could go to jail for contempt of a court order.
Overall, you will find that youre not going to go to jail. While it will be best to pay off your debts to avoid any court dates, etc, be rest assured that 99% of the time, jail time wont be served.
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