What good does it do to put someone in jail for not paying child support?

If they are in jail they aren’t gonna be able to pay child support anyways.

I agree 100%!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously. What’s the point of putting them in jail? IF they had a job (big IF there, lol) they are going to loose the job because they are thrown in jail, so there goes any money that was coming in…. So, once they get out of jail, it will take them a month (at LEAST) to get another job and then you have to go through getting everything set up again…. It’s stupid to put them in Jail. I agree.

17 Responses to “What good does it do to put someone in jail for not paying child support?”

  1. Then it shouldn’t bother them as they weren’t paying it anyway!!!
    References :

  2. I know \but I have seen this ”guys” When their wages are garnished they get” hurt” and file a Workman’s comp claim It’s unlawful to fire them when their wages are garnished But i did I would rather be in a labor court than a workman comp court any day of the week Can them the day you get notice and tell the judge I never saw that letter
    I recommend all employers do this These ”people” are just scum
    References :

  3. depends on the reason for not paying like not his child
    References :

  4. If they weren’t paying anyway, then the custodial parent is no worse off… and maybe the *threat* of going to jail, and knowing that people DO go to jail for it, will encourage other deadbeats to pay up front.

    Richard
    References :

  5. yes, that’s true but surely the court can pass a judgment that certain payment must be made as well as time in prison. Also, if the father is released and continues to withhold payment then the jail sentence will be longer the next time and so on
    References :

  6. Hmmm… Maybe the death penalty would be better… Then the organs could be harvested and sold to the highest bidder with the procedes going to the child’s college fund
    References :

  7. I agree 100%!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Seriously. What’s the point of putting them in jail? IF they had a job (big IF there, lol) they are going to loose the job because they are thrown in jail, so there goes any money that was coming in…. So, once they get out of jail, it will take them a month (at LEAST) to get another job and then you have to go through getting everything set up again…. It’s stupid to put them in Jail. I agree.
    References :
    LOL, I’m a single mom and my son’s father has an arrest warrant out for him right now because he doesn’t pay. Exactly HOW is that supposed to help my son?

  8. Actually putting them in jail really doesn’t accomplish anything, I agree, but the threat of jail time should motivate the men who have no motivation to get it together and support their child. Sad that it even has to come to that, but it does. For the jackasses who are out blowing money on everything but their child, I gotta say it would serve them right to spend some time in jail, but that doesn’t mean it’d be helpful for the child.
    References :

  9. Natasha B(blocked by cowards) on October 26th, 2009 at 2:53 am

    Depending on where you live it can help.
    When they get locked up the child can get a certain amount a day for the time they are locked up. If they bail themselves out that money also goes to the child.

    If a guy has a job and he is not paying child support, he should not complain that he lost his job due to the lock up he was not paying to begin with.

    Next time he gets a job maybe he will be motivated to pay child support to keep it.
    References :

  10. LovesTheConstitution on October 26th, 2009 at 3:02 am

    For over 15 years, I was a child support enforcement officer, then a manager of four child support offices in my state.

    During graduate school, I had studied the question whether the policy of jailing persons who violate court orders on child support is effective. I found that a loser is still a loser with or without incarceration. However, jailing deadbeats has two very positive effects on payment of child support. First, the average payment rate (among the counties I studied) was higher in those counties in which incarceration of deadbeats was high compared to the payment rate in counties with very low incarceration rates. Second, though the irresponsible person rarely improved during or after incarceration, the experience sometimes motivated immediate payment to secure early release.

    If the loser is on the outside, he may be of no use to anyone. If the loser is locked up, at least he serves society as a bad example.

    In my experience among men who failed to support their children, many are "momma’s boys". When a momma’s boy is in jail, momma will pay arrears to get her little boy out early. I did not find a correlation among women who were jailed for failure to pay support.

    Unfortunately, most jails are overcrowded and do not offer the courts this very effective option to better the lives of hundreds or thousands of children in their communities.

    Jail works.
    References :

  11. pragmatism_rules on October 26th, 2009 at 3:43 am

    Putting someone in jail for not paying support is supposed to be a punishment…punishment and a deterrent. The person gets punished because they didn’t do the right thing. Hopefully they hate the punishment so much that it acts as a deterrent and from then on, they pay the court-ordered child support so they don’t go back to jail. And other non-custodial parents will see that they too can be punished for non-payment and they will be encouraged to do the right thing and pay up!

    As for not being able to pay child support while they are in jail, that support still adds up and when they get out of jail, they will still have to pay, with interest. And since you can’t go bankrupt on child support debt, you might as well pay in the first place as in the end, you will have to pay and some of the consequences for not paying could be unpleasant.
    References :

  12. Well, there’s always the chance of being gang raped by lifers in jail … that would amuse your ex wife greatly I’m sure.
    References :

  13. Not everyone lives from one paycheck to the next. Most people have some money put aside. The threat of jail is enough for many parents to decide that they’d better pay child support, rather than buy themselves some luxury. If a parent truly can’t afford the child support, then the case needs to be revisited, and probably the payments will be lowered.

    Most people who owe child support are able to pay it, they just don’t WANT to pay it, for one reason or another. Yes, usually this involves a bit of a sacrifice, but having a child means making sacrifices for that child, in time or money or effort or all three, and child support usually doesn’t begin to even cover half of what is involved in raising a child.

    Nowadays, too, there’s another incentive. Many states will revoke or refuse to renew many licenses if the non-custodial parent is in arrears.
    References :

  14. They weren’t paying before, so what’s the difference? Some people work under the table so they don’t have to pay. If you put them in jail, the judge can order they be on work release. That way, they have to find a legit job, pay taxes like everyone else, and have their wages garnished for child support. Also, the threat of incarceration may make some of these dead beats actually look for a job and support their children.
    References :

  15. Death By Chemistry on October 26th, 2009 at 5:27 am

    Because they make douches like you work in jail for a small wage, enough to cover child support, and they mail it to the mother.

    -Billy
    References :
    My waste of a dad tried to stop paying child support.

  16. why should they get to walk around with it being a choice to pay? Any amount given is showing your trying but hey…it’s breaking a law if you don’t pay you go just like breaking any other laws.
    References :

  17. Thats the go put em in to free accomodation with free meals…so instead of them paying ..the rest of us taxpayers can pay to look after him…what a joke
    References :

Leave a Reply