Mr. Mann's story, as told through court filings and interviews, began in summer 2002, when his 13-year-old son assaulted him. The son went to a juvenile detention center. Mr. Mann – unemployed with an eighth-grade education and on disability benefits, according to court records – was assessed a $50 monthly payment to compensate the county for housing the boy.
Mr. Mann didn't pay. In spring 2004, the district attorney's office filed a motion for contempt of juvenile court. After Mr. Mann failed to appear for a July hearing, the court issued a writ of attachment – a little-known civil order that commanded authorities to bring him before a judge.
Once booked into jail in September 2004, the man with no apparent criminal record served a few days in jail for three minor justice-of-the-peace warrants, issued for writing bad checks. Then he waited in jail. More than a year passed. A ruling was never made in the contempt case. Even if he had been found guilty and given a maximum sentence, he would have faced a $500 fine and six months in jail, according to state law. The cost to confine him for 15 months totaled nearly $10,000, according to county averages.
This is the same jail system now under investigation by the FBI for civil rights abuses. I'm really not sure if it's worse when this happens through malice, or just plain old beauracratic stupidity.
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