Debtor prison law not relevant here

By Jeremy Weldon
Procedures in the City of Batesville’s Municipal Court will change little, if any, when a bill passed by state lawmakers is signed by the governor and goes into effect.
House Bill 387 was passed unanimously last week, and is expected to be signed by Gov. Phil Bryant soon.
The bill was proposed by Andy Gipson (R-Braxton), and was designed, he said, to relieve some of the burdens placed on newly-released inmates looking to re-enter the workplace.
The new law would provide relief for persons on parole or serving a probation sentence to meet with their assigned probation officers using mobile phone and computer applications like Skype and Facetime.
Missed work hours for probation check-ins have long been a necessary nuisance for employers of persons ordered by courts to maintain contact with probation officers.
Under the new law many of these inconveniences can be avoided with cooperation between officers and the people on probation
Additionally, the new law would wipe out the last vestiges of the perception of “debtor prisons” in Mississippi, barring counties and municipalities from incarcerating those persons considered indigent and unable to pay fines resulting from criminal misconduct.
Batesville’s city court system does not “lock up” persons unable, or even unwilling, to pay fines levied in its jurisdiction.
Rather, defendants assessed fines are given several options to settle their accounts. If unable to pay the full price of the fine, local courts will allow anyone owing money to set up payment plans, usually on the defendants terms.
Even when persons owing fines fail to keep up their payments, the court generally remains lenient, allowing for new payment plans to be considered.
Some people choose to “work off” their fines, and the city allows them to perform menial tasks (usually picking up roadside trash) to reduce their court debt.
Those people must volunteer for the city work program, and no one is sentenced to work off their fines.