- Joined
- Aug 8, 2020
This is probably dumb as shit as I'm kinda putting the idea together as I'm writing it. But let's say we brought back the concept of indentured servitude as a means of paying damages to the affected party in the modern day. What would that look like?
In my part of the US, at least, there is actually a motion one can file in order to go to jail as opposed to paying the fine for a criminal charge (iirc, the conversion is typically $120 per day if the judge allows it). So what if we did something similar for civil suits? If both parties agree, the losing defendant would be employed as a laborer for the plaintiff for no less than minimum wage. That money, of course, would not go to the defendant, but to pay off their debt to the plaintiff. At any point, either could sever the arrangement and the remainder of debt is just converted to debt.
Tbh. I think this option would rarely be used in the modern day (just as it's rare for people to choose jail over a fine), but to have the option there might actually be a good thing.
Now: tell me how retarded I am...
In my part of the US, at least, there is actually a motion one can file in order to go to jail as opposed to paying the fine for a criminal charge (iirc, the conversion is typically $120 per day if the judge allows it). So what if we did something similar for civil suits? If both parties agree, the losing defendant would be employed as a laborer for the plaintiff for no less than minimum wage. That money, of course, would not go to the defendant, but to pay off their debt to the plaintiff. At any point, either could sever the arrangement and the remainder of debt is just converted to debt.
Tbh. I think this option would rarely be used in the modern day (just as it's rare for people to choose jail over a fine), but to have the option there might actually be a good thing.
Now: tell me how retarded I am...