I am not usually so cynical as my last post. I must have been having one of those hormonal swing days!
Today, I'm just plain emotional. On my way to work this morning I heard that some guy got 5 years in prison for not paying child support.
During my research I found the criminal statutes for non-payment of child support.
In Illinois if a person willfully refuses to provide support for longer than 6 months or arrears greater than $5000 it is a CLASS A MISDEMEANOR with the penalty of 1 YR AND/OR $2,500. IF- (1) 2ND OR MORE CONVICTION;(2) LEAVE STATE TO AVOID PAYMENT & PAYMENT UNPAID FOR 6 MONTHS OR ARREARS $10,000; OR(3) PAYMENT UNPAID FOR A YEAR OR(4) ARREARS $20,000 OR GREATER it is considered a Class 4 felony and you may be penalized for 3 YRS AND/OR $25,000
IL ST CH 750 s. 16/15; 730 s. 5/5-8-1; 730 s. 5/5-8-3;730 s. 5/5-9-1
From Illinois.gov
When signing Senate Bill 19, Ryan created the Non-Support Punishment Act to join efforts by other states and the federal government making non-support of dependents a felony. This law enhances federal and state law enforcement efforts, and puts more "teeth" in Illinois' child support law by establishing criminal penalties, Ryan explained.
In addition, Senate Bill 19 addresses loopholes in current law concerning the suspension of driver's licenses and professional licenses. The court can seek revocation or suspension on driver's licenses, professional licenses, or occupational licenses if the person is convicted of a violation of being more than 60 days behind in support payment. The bill includes additional provisions for prosecution and penalties.
This author wonders if it's a good idea to take a person's job away from them by putting them in jail, or taking their drivers licenses, professional licenses or occupational licenses. Isn't this a little counter productive? Take the persons ability to drive to work or their job away from them and expect them to pay child support?
I just don't know how to solve this problem. I guess it's a good thing I don't have to! I looked at the Illinois Deadbeat Parents page There are pictures of people and how much they owe and where their last payment was.
I found Dead Beat Parents Suck story after story of parents not paying child support.
On the Lake County Deadbeat page there are names with the words "Captured" beside them.
Bruce Walker, executive coordinator at the District Attorney's Council in
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma points out some different categories of deadbeat parents.
Remarried Supporter. A large percentage of deadbeat dads are remarried and are supporting several step-children or biological children from a second marriage.
Men in Poverty. Many deadbeat dads are homeless, and an even greater percentage are poor.
Fathers Helping Mothers
Fathers Paying Child Support
Men with actual custody
Men who can't find their children
Fathers who love their kids, but won't work for them
Child-support resistors
He does a good job pointing out that not all deadbeat parents are just deadbeats.
Stephen Baskerville does an even better job helping to understand deadbeat parents.
Read Child Support Casualt - Oppressed Men Find a Final Solution
I paid child support. Not for very long, but I did pay child support. My oldest had graduated from high school and wanted to go to college. She had been living with her father. I took him to court and asked the judge to have him help her pay for college. Our son who also had been living with him was a couple years younger. My (then husband)had taken me to court and asked for custody of them. Because I was young and dumb and had a rotten attorney, I just said yes to the custody. I didn't have any money to fight and my lawyer didn't tell me I didn't have to say yes, that my ex would have to SHOW good reason to take my children from me. He didn't show any reason, there was no reason. There has never been a reason. But anyway... The lawyer told her father to pay for 1/2 of the semester. He also told me to pay 1/2 of the semester. Additionally, he ordered me to pay child support for my son who was "taken" by his father!
That's fine, my son lives with his father I should pay child support, even if I didn't understand my rights at the time of the custody request. I paid my child support. I also paid 1/2 of the semester. He paid $500. He worked for Commonwealth Edison at the nuclear plant making 4 times as much as I was making. I managed to live on my $7.00 an hour plus pay child support and 1/2 of the fees for a semester.
Fast forward a few years, he was fired from Commonwealth Edison for "unknown" reasons. Divorced the woman he left me for, is now on disability and plays golf on a daily basis.
Maybe if I hadn't paid my child support. I would be on one of those pages and no one would know the circumstances which surrounded my "dead beat" parent actions.
Oh, by the way. The judge who ordered this was made to step down from the bench for "questionable actions" with an inmate.
True story.
As grandma always said, "What comes around goes around."
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