1961 Imprisonment for debt is abolished legally in Louisiana

By the time of the Civil War, nearly all the constitutions of other states had abolished the imprisonment for debt. But, strange to say, it was not until Jan. 1, 1961, that imprisonment for debt was abolished legally in Louisiana.

The last suit under the old code was fought as late as 1948. In the early morning of March 23, 1948, Juan Malamud from Buenos Aires, Argentina, was arrested in his room at the Roosevelt Hotel and taken to the parish prison where he was confined after the assurance of a writ under Article 209 of the Code of Practice.

He was arrested upon complaint of a firm in New York city that alleged that he was indebted to them for the sum of $10,000, and to get out of jail he had to post a $15,000 bail.

Source: Buddy Stall at http://clarionherald.org/19991111/stall.htm