quawrs ray suareray suarez is uh "inside story." have a great night. >> you're caught with a minor infraction, improper lane change, let's say >> reporter: and it's more than you can pay right now. and in two dozen states, you can be sent to jail for not paying up. raising the money to pay is tough behind bars, and if you make partial payments, the amount owed grows and grows. in some jurisdictions it's a 21st century bondage, chasing a fine that you can never

quawrs ray suareray suarez is uh "inside story." have a great night. >> you're caught with a minor infraction, improper lane change, let's say >> reporter: and it's more than you can pay right now. and in two dozen states, you can be sent to jail for not paying up. raising the money to pay is tough behind bars, and if you make partial payments, the amount owed grows and grows. in some jurisdictions it's a 21st century bondage, chasing a fine that you can never completely pay off. when a fine is not fine. it's the "inside story." >> welcome to "inside story." i'm ray suarez. there's a lot of stuff that goes on in this country away from the gaze of america's middle class and above. and a punitive system of local law enforcement weighs heavily on those who barely have the money to meet it. the homeowner may face a heavy fine. look, it happens. you break the law, but this system of collection, jail time, and balances and fees that grow even when you're paying them off, lands particularly heavy on low income people, and it can unravel th