No they aren't. The article is the epitome of link baiting. People who fail to appear when subpenaed get a bench warrant sworn out on them, then when they do something else wrong and the officer runs a warrants check they can get imprisoned for 'failure to appear.'<p>Best comment is the one linked to in the article, "When you get summoned by the court, go."
No because it is a horrible idea for a nation in debt to go further in debt to lock up a citizen that is in debt. That would be the exact opposite direction to go to get debt paid.