Not quite as bad as that
His family would not be responsible unless there were guarantee's to any loans or in joint names, neither will he go to jail if there are no criminal elements like fraud involved
He might loose his house and have to rent and credit will not be possible untill he is discharged but whilst its not much fun and will change his and his families life there are many such cases here every year.
People in this situation often make an small offer towards there debts
Your work tools are also immune to seizure as you will need them to keep working
http://www.debtadvicebureau.org.uk/b...pros_cons.html
