Going to prison for non payment of TV licence
yorkiegal
Posts: 18,929 Forum Member
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My neighbour has just been sent down for 12 days for not paying her licence. Her kids have gone to live with their grandparents until she gets back.
Whilst it is a family with lots of problems, mostly drug related, it does seem harsh to me that someone could go to prison for not paying a bill. Why couldn't the debt have been deducted straight from her benefits instead? Our jails are packed and there are criminals who have committed burglaries or assaults who get away with community service or less. How is sending her to prison going to do anything to change her ways, when she's just going to come home and start spending her money on drugs again?
Whilst it is a family with lots of problems, mostly drug related, it does seem harsh to me that someone could go to prison for not paying a bill. Why couldn't the debt have been deducted straight from her benefits instead? Our jails are packed and there are criminals who have committed burglaries or assaults who get away with community service or less. How is sending her to prison going to do anything to change her ways, when she's just going to come home and start spending her money on drugs again?
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Maybe they were making terrible game shows on the side?
I really do hope so. But she'll need a lot of support for her and the kids dad to get drug free. They are smashing kids despite all their parents issues so they seem to be doing something right.
She didn't show up at court so perhaps that's why they gave her a custodial sentance.
She handed herself in the next morning once she'd made childcare arrangements.
I have read before than women are more likely to get prison time for this sort of thing than men.
I was googling around and apparently people do get sent down for this but it's more as you've said - defaulting on fines.
although interestingly, in ireland, the figures say that 97.5% of people jailed for this, regardless of the size of the fine, walk free from jail within a few hours.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/vast-majority-jailed-for-tv-licence-fines-walk-free-within-hours-1.1517596
I'm still surprised they sent her down though as I would have thought the fact she had kids would have not necessarily meant she'd have gotten off with it, but more that she'd have been given the opportunity to pay it off in installments or something like that.
television stations own us
Drugs are never more available than in prison.
However, I find it very sad how way too many people, especially elderly people don't know their rights when it comes to this sort of thing!
I find it sad that those that clearly do need a license refuse to get one and go through a ritual of avoiding tvl when they knock at the door.
It's all quite simple really, if you don't want a license don't watch or record live tv. If you do then pay up like the rest of us.
I'm not quite sure what the above poster classes as elderly as anyone aged 75 and over are entitled to a free tv license anyway.
I added another sentence just for you
You don't get that large a fine if you get behind on repayments of other items such as water or council tax.
This family is the same one I've mentioned before, where the kids usually go without heat or hot food each week when the benefits run out, because mum and dad have addiction to drugs. So the chances of them paying the fine was zero really.
Perhaps now social services might get involved and fingers crossed the parents will go back on the methadone. Heaven knows what state she's in right now because she's pregnant and I doubt she'll be given anything to help with withdrawals. In the meantime the Dad was seen selling some furniture from their flat whilst she's away!
Ultimately, this situation is all her own fault and all her own doing. If she has any sense, she will reflect on the poor life choices that she has made whilst inside prison and will then seek help with her addictions and other problems when she is released. If she voluntarily chooses to perpetuate her current unfortunate lifestyle then it is likely that she will get into trouble again.
I have the ideal solution.
Build more prisons!
Seriously, though, if prisons were less attractive - we could start by introducing hard labour, for example - they would be less popular.