If you have a judgment against you and don't pay can you go to prison?

AnswerNo. People are not sent to jail for not paying their debts. A writ of judgment is granted when the plaintiff wins the lawsuit. The judgment can be enforced in several ways, pursuant tot he laws of the debtor's state of residency. The preferred form is wage garnishment or bank account levy. It can also be in the form of a lien against property or liquidation of nonexempt assets belonging to the debtor(s). In very rare cases a creditor will attempt to bring criminal fraud charges against a debtor. This can only be done if it can be proven beyond doubt, that the person had "sufficiently evil intent" to defraud the creditor. An example would be, maxing out credit cards then moving to another state and living under an assumed name.

Always keep in mind: The only "Debtor's Prison" is the one of your extremely poor credit rating and your inability to move forward when it comes to just about anything that has to do with credit these days...which is everything. Owning a house, a new vehicle, utilities, insurance...your credit rating affects the rate you will pay for everything. Pay your bills on time. That is the best advice.