Pennsylvania Woman Jailed For Child's Truancy Dies In Custody

[From article]
Hundreds of parents, some impoverished and overwhelmed, have been jailed in Pennsylvania for failing to pay court fines that arise from truancy hearings after their children skip school, creating what some call a "debtor's prison" for people like Eileen DiNino.
DiNino, 55, of Reading, was found dead in a jail cell Saturday morning, hours after she surrendered to serve a 48-hour sentence.
[. . .]
More than 1,600 people have been jailed in Berks County alone - where Reading is the county seat - over truancy fines since 2000, more than two-thirds of them women, the newspaper reported. Charges are sometimes lodged against the students rather than their parents.
[. . .]
the fines handed down by judges were typically small, perhaps $20. The debt adds up, he said, over court costs and fees. In one case alone involving DiNino, her bill included a laundry list of routine fees: $8 for a "judicial computer project"; $60 for Berks constables; $40 for "summary costs" for several court offices; and $10 for postage.
"In recent years, the government has found all sorts of interesting ways to extract money from people. The fines can be $20 and the courts costs can be $150," Guida said.

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Jun 11, 1:38 PM EDT
WOMAN JAILED OVER TRUANCY FINES FOUND DEAD IN CELL
BY MARYCLAIRE DALE
ASSOCIATED PRESS