Under Pennsylvania law, district attorneys have the discretion to charge individuals who have fallen behind on their rental payments with a felony. That’s right: when a person fails to pay for rented property on time, rental companies can count on district attorneys to recover that money or incarcerate those who cannot pay. And far too many Pennsylvania district attorneys are happy to oblige. This is just another example of the many ways that our justice system criminalizes poverty.
Tell Pennsylvania district attorneys: you are not a collection agency. Stop charging those who fall behind on rental payments with criminal theft. It is not a crime to be poor!
