Can I go to jail if I can't pay back my credit card?
I hear this question a surprising number of times when I have initial client consultations. The answer is no. The idea of going to jail for generally failing to pay your creditors is a part of history. Up until the mid-1800's there were debtor's prisons. The development of U.S. Bankruptcy laws and other federal laws during that time helped eliminate the need for debtor's prisons. Incarceration over debt still occurs. In California, under Penal Code Section 1205, people c