Child support is an important aspect of parenting in Ohio. It is your obligation to pay support when ordered by a court so you can help take care of your children. Unfortunately, the system does not always work out in the best interests of every family member. Sometimes, parents fall behind on payments, which can result in serious consequences for everyone involved.
The Council on Contemporary Families explains that understanding the issues with overdue child support can help to better the system. Here are some facts about child support debt to keep in mind.
- Jail time is detrimental
Often when a parent falls behind in support payments, he or she faces a contempt of court charge, which may lead to incarceration. Putting parents behind bars for not paying support only introduces a further burden to the public, which has to pay for this, but also to the children who now cannot see this parent. It also prevents the parent from working to earn money to pay the support.
- The relationship between the parents plays a role
Not every situation where a parent falls behind in child support results in the court stepping in. Studies show that it is more likely to happen if the parents do not get along. If there is a good relationship between the parents, they can often work it out and get things back on track.
- It hurts everyone
This blanket statement does not show the true impact of back child support. Not only does it directly affect the parent not receiving the support, but also parents who do not pay could face jail time. This takes them away from the children. If the parent who does not receive support struggles financially and goes on public assistance, then it takes a toll on this system as well. It is a compounding problem.
Dealing with the issue of overdue child support is a struggle; nobody knows the best way to deal with it. Current tactics have not shown to work since this is still a prevalent issue.