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Description and Holding Information
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Special Joint Comm. on Imprisonment for Debt. Report, 1840
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House No. 37 In mid-January 1840, five men were told to come up with a law to abolish imprisonment for debt. On February 22, 1840, they submitted
a report. They provided a long history of debt as a criminal offense, its slow change to a civil matter, and the arcane rules surrounding the
offense.. At that time, in Massachusetts, it was possible to claim, without any evidence, that X owed $10 and was about to abscond, so X went straight to
jail. This was often used against merchant sailors. The Committee provided a short bill: An Act to abolish imprisonment for debt in all cases not
involving fraud, 1840. From and after July 4, 1840, no one could be imprisoned on a civil action for debt. (Digitized from a microfilm copy of title
originally held by the Massachusetts State Library).
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Title:
Ordered, that Messrs. Jenks, of Nantucket, Lewis, of Boston, Couch, of Newburyport, with such as the Senate may join, be a committee to consider the expediency of providing by law for the effectual abolishment of imprisonment for debt, in all cases not involving fraud.
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OCLC Number:
1418965447
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Available Volumes
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| Name | Fiche Count | Online | Paper Backup |
| Vol. 1 | | Yes | No |
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