Can You Bring Criminal Charges Against Someone Who Owes You Money?

A common practice in the rural community where I grew up was for storekeepers to sell goods on credit to people who did not have a bank account. The retailer would get the purchaser to sign a blank check, both parties knowing that the check was no good. If the purchaser did not pay the balance, the storekeeper would fill in the check for the balance due and then go to the sheriff and the DA and seek criminal prosecution against the purchaser for passing a bad check. This was imprisonment for debt and was an example of an illegal practice.