Tue Feb 14 2012
"Man is jailed for $71,000 in child support" was the headline of a recent article in the Record- Courier. If I were a reporter, I would investigate how many tax dollars are spent prosecuting "deadbeat" dads and how many are spent incarcerating them.
The result of this "crime" is a Class 5 felony designation that makes it difficult to secure a new job. Finding employment at many companies and even at Kent State University is almost impossible with a felony on your record. The university doesn't bother to make fine distinctions between Class 1 and Class 5 designations.
Portage County is one of the few counties in Ohio that jail "deadbeat" dads for failure to pay child support.
Other states are jailing their citizens for failure to pay not only child support, but also various fines. Google "jail for non-payment;" it generates 442,000 hits. The concept of debtors' prison, a relic of old England and colonial America, is making a comeback here in the land of the free.
The constitutions of the states of Tennessee and Oklahoma forbid civil imprisonment for debts, a euphemism for debtors' prison.
The only way to stop this madness in Ohio is an amendment to the Ohio Constitution.
John Heinl
Mantua
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Posted by 5ofus February 9, 2010
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The better way to stop the madness is to support your children!
The custodial parent doesn't have the option of not supporting the child, the noncustodial parent shouldn't have the option either. It's neglect, not a debt! If you don't want to provide for your children, don't have them. |
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