Alabama judge accused of telling offenders to give blood or go to jail
Alabama judge Marvin Wiggins stirred up controversy recently when the New York Times reported that he told a room full of offenders that they could either give blood or go to jail if they could not pay the fines associated with their offenses.
Alabama judge Marvin Wiggins stirred up controversy recently when the New York Times reported that he told a room full of offenders that they could either give blood or go to jail if they could not pay the fines associated with their offenses.
According to a recording of the judge, which was released by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the judge directed offenders to donate blood just outside the courtroom.
“Good morning ladies and gentlemen,” Wiggins can be heard saying. “There’s a blood drive outside, and if you don’t have any money and don’t want to go to jail, as an option to pay it, you can give blood today. If you do not have any money, go out there and give blood and bring in a receipt indicating that you did give blood. Consider that a discount, rather than putting you in jail, if you do not have any money.”
Of course, the recording is raising eyebrows since its release.
“What happened is wrong in about 3,000 ways,” said Arthur L. Caplan, a professor of medical ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center, which is part of New York University. “You’re basically sentencing someone to an invasive procedure that doesn’t benefit them and isn’t protecting the public health.”
Unfortunately for many of the offenders in the courtroom that day, even though they were told that donating blood would take $100 off their fines, some did not even receive the rebate.
