For Offenders Who Can’t Pay, It’s a Pint of Blood or Jail Time

[Judi Lynn]

Source: New York Times

For Offenders Who Can’t Pay, It’s a Pint of Blood or Jail Time
The New York Times
By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON
5 hrs ago

MARION, Ala. — Judge Marvin Wiggins’s courtroom was packed on a September morning. The docket listed hundreds of offenders who owed fines or fees for a wide variety of crimes — hunting after dark, assault, drug possession and passing bad checks among them.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,” began Judge Wiggins, a circuit judge here in rural Alabama since 1999. “For your consideration, there’s a blood drive outside,” he continued, according to a recording of the hearing. “If you don’t have any money, go out there and give blood and bring in a receipt indicating you gave blood.”

For those who had no money or did not want to give blood, the judge concluded: “The sheriff has enough handcuffs.”

Efforts by courts and local governments to generate revenue by imposing fines for minor offenses, particularly from poor and working-class people, have attracted widespread attention and condemnation in recent months. But legal and health experts said they could not think of another modern example of a court all but ordering offenders to give blood in lieu of payment, or face jail time. They all agreed that it was improper.


Read more: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/for-offenders-who-can%e2%80%99t-pay-it%e2%80%99s-a-pint-of-blood-or-jail-time/ar-AAfE4aK?li=AAa0dzB

[hobbit709]

1. What's next? Organ donation?

Shades of Larry Niven's Gil The Arm stories.

[uawchild]

8. exactly. welcome to the dystopia. n/t

[silverweb]

2. And for those who *can't* give blood?

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]On the surface sounds like a reasonable option, doing good, but in reality....

[jtuck004]

3. Nothing more than a bunch of fascists pushing people around who have no money or power.

I would guess perhaps 75% of those cases wouldn't be there if they hadn't committed the unwritten crimes of being either without money or white skin first.

I would also hazard a guess that near 100% of those who HAVE to take that option to remain out of jail temporarily (the occupiers are going to arre$t them again as soon as they can - we have overhead, you know) can't afford, and likely don't even have access to the medical care it would take to put the blood back if they were hit by a car as they leave.

[silverweb]

4. All too true.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Great insight.

[rpannier]

5. Interesting thing is...

This isn't new.
It was fairly common prior to concerns about Hepatitis

Sad part is... they gave for nothing
1. The blood was discarded
2. It looks like they didn't get the 100 credit either

[trusty elf]

6. Why not a pound of flesh?

[truthisfreedom]

16. A pint of blood is actually almost exactly a pound.

And it is effectively flesh.

[malthaussen]

7. Still trying to get blood from a stone, I see. n/t

[edgineered]

9. Being hungry, weak, and tired isn't hurtful enough for some. nt

[uawchild]

10. Heh, its just A Modest Proposal

"A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People From Being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick,[1] commonly referred to as A Modest Proposal, is a Juvenalian satirical essay written and published anonymously by Jonathan Swift in 1729. Swift suggests that the impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles by selling their children as food for rich gentlemen and ladies.[2] This satirical hyperbole mocks heartless attitudes towards the poor, as well as Irish policy in general.

In English writing, the phrase "a modest proposal" is now conventionally an allusion to this style of straight-faced satire."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Modest_Proposal

[Lionel Mandrake]

11. This is really stupid.

People giving blood under these circumstances will lie about their state of health, prior travel, prior sex life, etc. Blood that should not have been collected will harm people who need transfusions. Judge Wiggins's behavior is inexcusable.

[Massacure]

15. Depends on if they can still claim credit even if they are deffered

My high school hosted three blood drives a year for the juniors and seniors who were at least 17 years old. During the Spring one, we would compete against a rival school to see which school could get a higher percentage of their graduating class to donate blood. The losing school got decorated with the winning school's colors. If a student was deferred for low iron or whatever other reason they still counted -- they only needed to show up to their appointment.

In general, I don't see an issue in letting a person substitute a cash fine for community service. And showing up to give blood should count as an hour of service, regardless of whether you actually give or get deferred in my mind.

[Lionel Mandrake]

18. You're right.

If the judge made it clear that showing up was sufficient, then there would be no problem.

[mhatrw]

12. FUCKING VAMPIRES

[KamaAina]

13. Is this from The Onion?!

And what about offenders who are disqualified from donating blood?!

[FLPanhandle]

14. I think it was good idea.

The alternative was the standard practice of pay the fine or go to jail.

Many people can't pay. This gave some of them an opportunity they wouldn't have had.

Complain if you want, but people could decline the option and be no worse off than they would have been.

[puzzledeagle]

17. This is a very bad idea that could lead to judges getting corrupted

Hundreds of years ago doctors wanted fresh corpses to dissect, since they were only allowed to dissect executed criminals so judges gave more death sentences. I wouldn't trust judges today getting corrupted when they suddenly get more incentives to sentence people to "donate".