Debtors prison in U.S.

I thought that debtors prisons were a thing of the past in the U.S. I thought it has disappeared entirely before the Civil War.

It was gone but it has returned.

In the mid-1960s as Las Vegas and Reno became important forces in the State of Nevada and gambling casino's needed protection from scofflaws a new law was put on the books.  Failure to pay a gambling debt is a felony.  The threat of debtors jail or debtors prison seems to be effective in getting gambling debts paid.

In the 1980's as women became more ferocious and politically potent, they passed laws making failure to pay child support a felony in many states.  Even if the man who owes child support has no money and no job he can still be prosecuted and many are put in jail.

This latter legislation is weird and unfortunate but true.  The Left, which embraces the womens movement is all about laws for controlling behavior. 

That is why the cruel and absurd debtors prison is back.