The Dystopian Return of the Debtors' Prison

Nonsense with cj little and Jeff Parker · Jul 16, 2026 · 34m

(0:00) Open

(2:05) When Empty Pockets Become a Crime

(4:02) Debtors' Prisons: A History

(9:37) Famous People Who Went to Debtors' Prisons

(18:17) Modern Day Debtors' Prisons

(22:15) Other Systems That Seem to Work Better

(29:05) cj’s recommendation: The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

(31:12) Jeff’s Recommendation: Emily the Criminal (2022)

We made it to Episode 200! Yay us! To celebrate, we start off discussing the absolute worst financial trap in human history: debtors' prisons.

Join us as we explore the wild historical details, from the Fleet Prison’s illegal, bargain-bin weddings to creditors…