Post by Origanalist on Jun 22, 2014 2:15:37 GMT -8
Pennsylvania mother dies in jail while being punished for kids missing school
PHILADELPHIA, PA — A mother of seven children was sentenced to jail time because she couldn’t afford the government fines imposed on her after her children had skipped school multiple times. She died halfway into her 2-day sentence.
Eileen DiNino, 55, was found dead in her cell on June 7th, 2014, in Berks County Jail. Her children had a habit of skipping school and the government had imposed a number of truancy violations on her. The violations followed with fines and court costs, which accumulated to over $2,000.00, the Star-Tribune reported.
DiNino was unable to pay the steep fines, so she was sentenced to 48 hours behind bars — tantamount to debtor’s prison.
She passed away one day into her sentence.
“The woman didn’t have any money,” said Diana L. Sealy, whose son married DiNino’s daughter. “Years ago, I tried helping her out. She had all these kids.”
An autopsy has been completed, WFMZ reported, and no foul play is suspected, but the coroner is awaiting toxicology results before determining a cause of death.
Even the judge who reluctantly sentenced her to jail questioned the laws that criminalized her.
“Did something happen? Was she scared to death?” said District Judge Dean R. Patton. “This lady didn’t need to be there. We don’t do debtors prisons anymore. That went out 100 years ago.”
Under Pennsylvania law, a parent can be jailed 5 days for every truancy. More than 1,600 parents have been jailed in Berks County alone — two-thirds of them mothers — because of unpaid truancy fines since 2000, the Reading Eagle reported.
continued at....http://www.policestateusa.com/2014/eileen-dinino/#prettyPhoto
PHILADELPHIA, PA — A mother of seven children was sentenced to jail time because she couldn’t afford the government fines imposed on her after her children had skipped school multiple times. She died halfway into her 2-day sentence.
Eileen DiNino, 55, was found dead in her cell on June 7th, 2014, in Berks County Jail. Her children had a habit of skipping school and the government had imposed a number of truancy violations on her. The violations followed with fines and court costs, which accumulated to over $2,000.00, the Star-Tribune reported.
DiNino was unable to pay the steep fines, so she was sentenced to 48 hours behind bars — tantamount to debtor’s prison.
She passed away one day into her sentence.
“The woman didn’t have any money,” said Diana L. Sealy, whose son married DiNino’s daughter. “Years ago, I tried helping her out. She had all these kids.”
An autopsy has been completed, WFMZ reported, and no foul play is suspected, but the coroner is awaiting toxicology results before determining a cause of death.
Even the judge who reluctantly sentenced her to jail questioned the laws that criminalized her.
“Did something happen? Was she scared to death?” said District Judge Dean R. Patton. “This lady didn’t need to be there. We don’t do debtors prisons anymore. That went out 100 years ago.”
Under Pennsylvania law, a parent can be jailed 5 days for every truancy. More than 1,600 parents have been jailed in Berks County alone — two-thirds of them mothers — because of unpaid truancy fines since 2000, the Reading Eagle reported.
continued at....http://www.policestateusa.com/2014/eileen-dinino/#prettyPhoto