No JAIL for parents who cannot pay CHILD SUPPORT

Target:

President Obama, 1st Lady Obama, Elected Officials and Amer. Public

Sponsored by:

This petition is requesting that JAIL is taken out of the family issue of child support for everyone. As women, it does not help us to have the father of our child JAILED in the event that he cannot pay child support. Rather, to have a father assigned to a wage attached job would benefit the child more. JAIL only causes annomosity toward the mother and child.

Mother's who cannot pay child support should not be jailed. Nor should the fathers' be jailed. The enforcement tactics that are presently in place are sufficent avenues to collect child support. there is no need to go overboard to the extent of placing people in jail.

Presently, if a person does not pay child support their license is suspended, a report is made to the credit bureau, their bank account is garnished as well as their income tax return and their passport is restricted.   Outside of these tactics, the financial provisions of that child is between the two people who made the child.   What was initiated as a help to mothers when a father financially abandons a child has been turned around to backfire on the very people it was intended to help.

Mother's who can pay child support should have the option to pay if their child was taken from them against their will.    In other words, just because a parent lost in a custody battle; does not mean that they have money to finance the household that the child has been given to.

In most cases, a mother usually has other children at home. She goes to court one day to answer a contempt petition because she is not able to pay child support and she never returns home because she has been jailed.

There is no consideration given to the fact that her career has been affected by time off to birth and raise the child whereas a man's career goes uninterrupted by the birth of a child.

The mental damage, financial damage and the damage to her children left at home is unrepairable. The child support laws must be reworded to be condusive to the family not destructive. Consideration has to be given to a parent who solely provided for a child in the absence of the other parent and then is slapped with a heftly child support order with no deduction for the years that parent struggled alone.

Feel free to call me with your experiences at 610-705-3139 and amomof10kids@aol.com

We the undersigned petition you our trusted official to represent our interest and to protect our American right to not be jailed because we cannot pay child support.

On, January, 26, 2009 in Philadelphia Family Court I, Huriyyah Amatullah-Bey, was placed in jail because I am unable to pay a child support order. No regard was given to the children that I have unattended at home; or to my mentally ill condition or the underlying fact that I am not a crimminal but a mother.

In my case, I was jailed because I tried to help youth raise funds for 'Stop the Violence' youth programs before I became ill. Funds that would pay for youth going on trips in the summer and to summer camp. Profiles of me that had been placed on the internet before I became ill were brought into court as evidence that I a disabled, mentally ill person was able to work and that I was making money. Despite medical evidence that I was presently mentally ill and disabled I was thrust into a jail cell.

I was told by Judge Joel Johnson to pay $1,500 or go to jail for 30 days. The opposing attorney, Sandra Morris, was requesting that I go to jail for 6 months. I have reason to believe that her motives stemmed from wanting the father to get money so that she could continue to milk him; rather than any concern for my 13 yr old son.

The internet profiles that had been placed on myspace and other free social networking sites reaped no responses and definitely no money. Regardless, had the sites reaped any monies, the monies would have been designated to 'Stop the Violence' youth programs. Not, my personal pocketbook.

I was unfairly charged under what is known as 'earning capacity' for merely having an idea to help a group of kids that wanted to go on a trip.

Earning capacity is a term applied to a person even when they do not have a job to indicate what they are capable of earning. An amount is charged based on earning capacity and the unemployed person is then jailed if they are not able to pay it.

My case is one out of thousands. I am using my case to plea on behalf of mother's across America who are being thrown in jail on a daily basis. There are those of us who according to our religion, believe that the man is the provider of the children. So, our religious rights are also being violated as well as our human rights.

We have only you to champion our cause, hear our plea and right this outrageous wrong.

Please, immediately, pass a law that a mother, nor a father can be jailed for not paying childs upport. Cases of child support neglect will be dealt with other measures such as monitoring the finances of a neglectful parent to ensure that monies that could go for child support are not being spent on luxuries and unnecessary expenses. Measures would be put in place that would halt other freedoms that would make a neglecful parent comply. However, jail would not be one of the measures used.

First of all; it is counterproductive. A person cannot look for work or go to work if they are in jail. When they are jailed, whatever job they may have; is lost. But, in the case of mothers', no respect or compensation is given to the fact that her career has been altered in the brithing and raising of a child. A woman attempting to return to work after being out for birthing a child cannot be put on the same payment scale as her child's father whose career was not interrupted by childbirth and child raising.

In most cases, the mother who has lost custody of her child; is a single parent and has other children to provide for. Bottomline, she is a mother and not a crimminal. Jail is for crimminals.

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We signed the "No JAIL for parents who cannot pay CHILD SUPPORT" petition!

# 188:

12:31 am PST, Nov 22, Richard Lord, Florida
My family has totally been driven apart by these laws that govern the collection of child support. After 20 years of not knowing where my two daughters had been, Finally I am getting to know them....by phone (we are still 1,000 miles apart). But up to now, I've paid child support when I could, but no arrangement was ever made for visitation, or even knowing where my children are. When I couldn't pay, My driver's license would be suspended, and I would go for months without working. I'd have to pay $1,000's to reinstate them, and that can be worse than jail. At times, I've been homeless wandering the streets because of trying to keep up with payments and having to let the rent not be paid (bad choice?). I still haven't seen my 2 daughters. And I still owe $25,000 in arrears. But even the mom has had it with the system because now there is $2,000 I paid but has never made it to her. Now again, I face going to court again because I just lost my job. They suspended my license again, and I am stranded. I am 51 years old, and I can take anymore, but neither can my daughters or their mom. And, on top of that...I failed to mention that I am the custodial parent of an 18 year old son who was abandoned by his mom. She has NEVER paid for him. My son had to go to work to help me pay my child support. None of any of this is fair to any of us. ALL of us would have been much better off without government intervention.

Job training and neutral counseling for NCP's, and their CP ex's, if needed. Stop forcing CP's to be dependent on government programs. If any enforcement, enforce NCP's to visit their children FIRST, without missing a bi-weekly visit. PUT THE CHILD IN THEIR LIVES WHERE THEY BELONG, before killing them financially, so that they are more compelled to want to help their children. NCP's are not criminals, for the most part. Some of us, like me just had a bad argument without intervention...until the State intervened....after that...their is no going back.

# 187:

3:24 pm PST, Nov 21, Cerstin Farris, Missouri
i think that if u cant pay that you shouldnt have too..

# 186:

9:09 pm PST, Nov 20, Theresa Garza, Texas
As a mother of three I do not think placing a father in jail for months will do anyone any good. the child still stays without receiveing money from the absent parent and on top of that. Money that can go towards my child is being taken from me to pay taxes for these men who do not pay.

# 185:

9:51 am PST, Nov 20, Kimberly Matthews aka kinder, North Carolina
in response to #183. I am the mother that you are venting about in your letter. You are upset that Marvin is in jail for non payment of cs, but what you are not telling is the whole story. Both me and the courts have given him plenty of chances to find a job to get caught up. The amount that you listed is no where near the amount that he owes. For the part that "he paid when he was working", both of us know that the only reason that is cause when the courts did find out he had a job they had to garnish his wages. Shortly after they did this he quit,showing us did not want to pay. About his shakes, he has know about that for years and all of the sudden his back is in the corner and he wants to use that as an excuse. I beleive now that he is in jail he gets free medical so he can check that out. I will agree with you though that with him in jail he wont be able to pay his cs but with him out he did not pay it either. The most important thing you are losing focus on is the child, Jessica, she is the one that is important here not the fact that Marvin is in jail

# 184:

4:32 am PST, Nov 19, Name not displayed, Tennessee
As a mother of 4 who rarely got support from their father, I see nothing to gain by putting a parent in jail because of non support. These days the courts do not care what the circumstances are, they jail them. This is far more traumatizing to a child then any non support. Most of these jailed are doing the best they can. Especially now a days with the economy, hours being cut, lay offs and still they keep child support pushed and treat us human beings like criminals. I think they need to start thinking about jailing these who sit on their butt and collect welfare, while they use the benefits to support their other habits or have people live with them they don't report, having babies just to collect more. That will stop welfare in its tracks.

I don't call them willfully neglectful parents. These parents hurt and are treated unfairly. What I suggest is that the government give all parents who are paying child support a job to support that. They let the custodial parent reap all benefits. The paying parent cannot even claim on taxes, yet the custodial gets all the support and the earned income credit and all welfare benefits. This country needs overhauled.

# 183:

4:10 pm PST, Nov 18, Darcy Kinder, Tennessee
My husband Marvin Kinder was given a sentence of 180 days in jail today when he couldn't pay the $2750.84 the court wanted for back child support. My husband is also in the process of being diagnosed with early Parkinson's disease, at the age of 32. We live in Crossville and there have been very few jobs here in the past year and if Marvin was lucky enough to get an interview they would ask him if he was on drugs due to his shaking. It has never been my husband's desire not to pay his child support, when he had a job he was paying it. How can you pay child support when you can't get a job? Marvin even explained his current situation with a probable diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease to the Judge and D.A. and asked if they could please give him one more week to find out what is going on. And that if he was diagnosed with it then he would been seeking disability and therefore his daughter could get social security from his disability, but he was denied. I realize everyone has a job to do but, if the state budget is so bad why are we thinking about letting 3300 non-violent inmates go early and then yurning aroung and locking up people that have truly fallen on hard times in this poor economy? I am on both sides because I too receive child support from my ex-husband, but I would never allow him to be put in jail over it. I waited 5 years to get my first child support check and I would wait 5 more if I needed to. Which I recently did with my grandson's father because the child lives with me. I asked the court to hold off current child support until he had a source of income and only pay $10.00 per month toward back child support. I don't see what good it does to put him in jail when I know he can't find a job in this town. Not is the state is paying to help support the child but the now incarcerated parent as well. We are the ones that vote, not criminal's and what you are saying to me is that people that can't pay their child support aren't worth as much to the ones that are harmful to society. Wow what a message that sends, and right around the holidays too.

# 182:

8:50 pm PST, Nov 16, DAHLIA DABBAH, New Jersey
I AM MARRIED TO A MAN WHO HAS BEEN DENIED ACCESS TO HIS CHILDREN FOR 16 YEARS. AT THE SAME TIME HAS BEEN IN COURT AND JAUL COUNTLESS TIMES FOR BEING FALSLY ACCUSED BY HIS EX OF EARNING 5-10 TIMES HIS TRUE EARNINGS . AT THE SAME TIME BEING BROUGHT SEVERAL FALSE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CHARGES TO DEFEND. HE WAS FORCED TO LOSE HIS BUSINESS AND CHILDREN AND LIBERTY ALL ON ACCOUNT OF BASELESS LIES . NOW THE COURT.HIS CHILDREN ARE ALL OVER 18 AND NOT ONLY DOES THE COURT ORDER HIM TO PAY 86% OF HIS INCOME TO CHILD SUPPORT AND ARREARS WHICH ACCUMULATED DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE ORDERS IT HAS FACTORED IN MY INCOME AS A MEANS TO PAY IT.

FATHERS DONT JUST SUDDENLY WISH TO WILLFULLY NEGLECT TO SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY ARE NOW DIVORCED. THEY SHOULD BE TREATED AS FATHERS WHO ARE STILL ESSENTIAL TO THE EMOTIONAL WELL BEING OF THEIR CHILDREN AND JUST AS COMMITTED TO THEIR FINANCIAL WELL BEING AS WELL

# 181:

10:47 am PST, Nov 16, Mark Deegan, New Jersey
It is not the Governments business... You are al;ready destroyed emotionally

They are Punishing Themselves...

# 180:

3:21 am PST, Nov 16, Chandler Lane, Florida
First I do not mean to insult any ladies out there , But you created this mess back in the 1970s. It was ok to jail Fathers and Ex- husbands for child support and alimony as a matter of fact you demanded it. All we have heard out of women for decades is i wont my money or him in jail! Now that the tables have started to turn you dont like it and you think that you should be able to jest op out. Did you not think that when the Goverment got involved that it would turn on women to well it did. The only way that we are going to stop this madness is to pass "Equal Parenting laws" in America. Not only is this hurting children it is costing tax payers every time we through a "Dead beat Parent" in jail, On a average of about 50,000 to 60,000 a year. This system does not work and never did , it is bad for children, mothers,fathers and us tax payers

# 179:

1:48 am PST, Nov 16, Mark Cagle, Tennessee

# 178:

6:28 pm PST, Nov 15, Thomas Barber, Missouri

# 177:

5:11 pm PST, Nov 14, Chasity Provancher, South Carolina
its my husband in jail and he wasnt able to find work and they locked him up and hes has kids with me too that is going with out also what good does it have to put them in jail when they are there for not giving them child suppor and they still dont get it when there in there so what good does that do for the kids

help find work and dock there pay

# 176:

6:55 am PST, Nov 13, Shawn Hackney, West Virginia

# 175:

9:05 pm PST, Nov 11, Brent Kitchen, Tennessee
Sending a man to jail for not being able to pay child support is just pure BS. I can understand if they are making money and make no effort in paying. Time is getting hard and the jobs are getting harder to find and alot with jobs are losing them,give us a F*cking break!

# 174:

8:06 pm PST, Nov 11, Shelia Bradley-Smith, Minnesota
May R. Howard rot in hell for taking advantage of an innocent woman and demanding child support. You telling her son that mommy is going to jail may be cute to you, but one day karma will kick you in your tail. I refuse to even pray for you and those that set out to destroy my daughter. To the Governornment, it is a real ahame that America has stooped so low to put citizens in jail for a debt such as child support. If people are able to pay then they should pay, but to be stripping americans of their lives, forced to live on the streets, and put them in jail is just a real shame. With most americans in jail for none payment of child support, then all having a criminal record, do you really expect the economy to get better when you have made in hard for honest people to get a real job after you put them in jail? Shame on the government for allowing this to happen. No wonder people are so hopeless.

# 173:

6:51 pm PST, Nov 11, Vivian Brady, Arkansas

# 172:

11:10 am PST, Nov 11, Name not displayed, Virginia
Well just to be quick and straight to the point is how i'm going to phrase this. My children were stolen from me by my ex husband. His family has a lot of money and power in the government. He munipulated the system as well him and his family lied on stand. Because of this he gained physical custudy of my two beautiful boys. When we went to court for child support he again lied. They was a time period before the custudy heiring that we agreed to pay for the children when they were with us. When we went for childsupport he lied and got around 10,000 in back child support awarded to him. It has been very diffucult for me mentally since i was not granted physical custudy for my boys. I was a very young mother and wife. I was 17 and 19 when I had my boys, and 17 when I got married. I was in my very early 20's when all the custudy stuff was going on. So adapting to all of this has been posed very hard on the soul. I have been struggling for yours dealling with what life has givin me. Through a lot of hard times the position I am in right now is disheartening and difficult. I had to quit a job where I was working 60 hours a week commision based because of the economy. I was not making even enough money to pay my child support. Now you must know that my ex husband and his family are very well off and he still lives at home with his family and my boys are not lack for anything. Thank the lord. Yet still in this time in my life I was not able to pay for two months. I recieved notice that my licensce was suspended. I called to see what i needed to do. They told me that I had to pay all the back child support before I could get my license back. Which totals 11000 dollars. I have been applying for mediocar jobs because they are in walking distance. With no luck yet. I have hope that something will come along. I am still fearfull that I will end up going to jail. That means I will not be able to see my kids, and when I get I will still be in an even worse situation then when I went in. It just breaks my heart to no end! I am so lost.

My suggestion would be implament a buffer. What I mean by that is have a sort of " probation " before things start getting taken away. If you fall on hard times and can't pay you will go there first. Tell them the situation. They can supplement so your children will not be without. They will monitar your job progress and once you are back on your feet a little more will be added to your child support untill you pay them back aswell. If you are not showing progress or that you are trying, then maybe it is time for punishment. Taking away everyones license and putting everyone in jail is rediculious. The children are hurt as well as lives are ruined.

# 171:

9:38 pm PST, Nov 10, Audrey Blewett, Washington

# 170:

9:37 pm PST, Nov 10, Diana Taylor, Washington
It doesn't help the children to have thier father jailed. It destorys the fathers self astem to take everything from him. What ever happen to the love and respect of the parent. Doen't it matter anymore

As a parent of five children and 2 men as fathers. True it would of been nice to of had some child support but i receved none. I really wanted my children to have a father who cared and spent time with them. Like real parents. if a man reallly wants to have a relationship with a child then taking away all of his rights money cars house and sending him to jail. The child looses respect and the man is trapped. What can he do if he can't pay? So tax payers money is the help? Send him to jail so the jail can colect 65 dollars or so from the goverment. I hate this berocricey

# 169:

3:18 pm PST, Nov 9, Name not displayed, Virginia
Hang in there. . . . Its gonna get better and I am glad someone had enough courage to have a site as this one there are alot of mothers and fathers out there that can't pay child support due to various type situations and my heart goes out to those who may very well get jail time for non-payment.I pesonally feel as tho people should not go to jail because they can't pay first of all the economy is so out of wack at this point and there are no jobs and why lock up a individual for non-payment when in actuallity they still wont be able to pay because they are in jail so I wish you luck and may god continue to shed his love and grace on each and everyone who is experiencing the same in-justice....

You can ride fancy cars with rims and the whole nine and you "flossed up" then you should be able to pay...If you can pay why not pay.......People that can pay and somehow still get out of paying.......these are the ones that are making it hard for those who are actually in a finacial clich and REALLY CAN"T PAY suffer.....This is just my opion

# 168:

11:22 am PST, Nov 9, Kymmie Skutt, Michigan

# 167:

3:30 pm PST, Nov 8, Tommy Mayfield, Tennessee

# 166:

1:40 pm PST, Nov 8, Audrey Culpepper, Georgia

# 165:

12:58 pm PST, Nov 8, Eric Fischer, Georgia
It's Not Right To Lock Us Up When We Struggle To Pay Child Support and Take Care Of Our Spouses and Other Children We Live With Who Gonna Take Care Of Them When We Sit Behind Bars and Child Support Just Keeps Getting In The Rears..

# 164:

12:05 pm PST, Nov 8, Charles Burton, Florida
i am a man who lost his job anout a year and a half when the ecomnomy fell and i have been to court twice for not paying my child support now i have always payed my child support until i lost my job and now i cant find one to save my life. first they took my driver lisence then my truck got repoed now i have to go back to court for the third time in nov of 2009. i have a son here that lives with me and my other son lives with his mother in another town about an hour and a half from here and she never answer her phone for me to talk to him or lets me see him when i can find a ride and all i get is letters from the state is money. she hasmarried some rich man and she wants for nothing why in the world do woman wnat more and more from us when they have it all. i have told her and the court what is going on but they just dont care. the court has gave her a lawer but what about ours why cant we gat a free lawer?

i thing the government put us in this mess so they should get us out of this mess, make some jobs for us so called dead beet dads. i am not one of them i have alway payed my child support always now i know some of them dad beet dads and i tell you what i have told them off espieasly when they was working right beside me and was making good money and they refused to pay.

# 163:

2:49 pm PST, Nov 7, Alison Snyder, Kansas
You shouldn't have to be financially responsible for a child who was born while you were married to a woman then come to find out it's not your baby. The state still makes you pay even though it's not your kid. You can put anyone's name on a birth certificate, that doesn't make him the Dad. Every state should provide free paternity tests to women who don't know who the father of their baby is!

# 162:

1:53 pm PST, Nov 7, Joshua Snyder, Kansas

# 161:

7:52 am PST, Nov 6, Name not displayed, Maryland

# 160:

1:26 pm PST, Nov 5, Name not displayed, Virginia
my husband is in jail at the moment for child support he does not have a criminal record never been locked up before. The only reason he could not pay is because he got layed off and this is really affecting our son and my step son it is just not fair

how about communtiy service

# 159:

4:39 pm PST, Nov 4, Dianne Mrs, Massachusetts
Put more women in jail for not paying child support so that our elected officials can address the issue. Lets face it, when a women gos to jail our elected officials want to address the issue, when a man gos to jail it is oooohhh well. Put more women in jail and the laws will change. My ex- husband works night and day just to meet his cost of living and he is on the brink of suicide, is this what the State wants? Both my ex- husband and I want him around for our children but the State is making it difficult for us! He is a outstanding FATHER and the STATE MAKES IT DIFFICULT

Put more women in jail for not paying child support so that our elected officials can address the issue. Lets face it, when a women gos to jail our elected officials want to address the issue, when a man gos to jail it is oooohhh well. Put more women in jail and the laws will change.

# 158:

5:42 am PST, Nov 4, Name not displayed, Tennessee
They only put poor mothers and farthers in jail, as money buys their way out.

# 157:

4:04 pm PST, Nov 3, Rose Robinson, Georgia
I am a mother that has to raise my son with no job, no income, and no babysitter if i did have a job b/c my babys father that I am still with is in jail for non payment of child support for 2 other kids he has that aren't in the household but we wasn't able to pay for a while cuz he didn't have a job and when he finally gets one they arrest him. He's been in there for over 30 days more like 45 days and it's not right. How do they expect him to make money to pay locked up? What about the kid he does support at home? He's suposed to be without a father and supporter b/c he can't afford to pay his other child support at the time? They never consider if people have dependents at home they have to financially provide for! They should think about that when there deciding how much the person has to pay a month but they don't! That's not right at all! Just b/c the mother of that child isn't going through child support this child shouldn't be considered? NO

# 156:

12:09 pm PST, Nov 3, Maria Graves, Ohio
I am a mother of two. I have taken care of my children, by myself for 11 years. I have 2 dead beat dads out of my life. I pray for them that they will someday want to know their children. I do not wish jail on anyone. I would like there to be a job program for people who need to take care of their children. I need financial help. I would like for my childrens' fathers to step in, but I cannot make them. Putting them in jail will not help that situation. It will only make it worse because that slaps a felony on their record and they cannot get a good job.

I suggest a government grant program for jobs or assistance for those who would like to do better and raise their children. Not jail. It is only a never ending cycle.

# 155:

1:46 pm PST, Nov 2, Mike Vrana, Florida

# 154:

6:22 pm PST, Nov 1, Name not displayed, Wisconsin
im a father one child of mine is 17 i have vever got to see her mother kept her from me and child support tells me they are there to collect my money and to get a lawyer . i cant afford one. i do constrution my income changes in the winter they would not lower it for the winter and shawano co. cs case worker cristy kouls told me to keep extra money out of summer pay. i have no problem willing to support my child but this is totally unfair. now my arreres are 5 times the amout owed with intrest. my other daughter i raised from different mother i been in jail many times for non support so they say for a child i never seen and it breaks my heart contact #920-366-6859

taxes all lics. but not drivers lic. no way to get work most jobs require lic. and wont hire you so you can get the money to pay support and get then back

# 153:

2:57 pm PST, Nov 1, Jeffrey Malinowski, Florida
The use of jail time in child support cases is obscene. In cases of abusive or mrntally ill former spouses they use this as a vindictive tool agasint the other former spouse.

# 152:

3:21 pm PDT, Oct 30, Faith Eli, Oregon
I think with

# 151:

6:12 am PDT, Oct 30, Cyndy Crolley, South Carolina

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