Via the Guardian, another in a long chain of similarly heartbreaking stories. How do these towns justify holding a mentally ill man over $5 in grocery theft? There are poor people all over America who are sitting in jail over minor charges, often because they can't even afford $100 in bail: A young black man arrested by police in Portsmouth, Virginia, on the same day that one of the city’s officers fatally shot an unarmed black 18-year-old, has been found dead in jail after spending almost four months behind bars without bail for stealing groceries worth $5. Jamycheal Mitchell, who had mental health problems, was discovered lying on the floor of his cell by guards early last Wednesday, according to authorities.