How does the government ensure that people pay the child support required of them? “We can suspend a driver’s license, deny a passport—or send the person to jail. Just the threat of these actions usually means that middle and upper income parents pay their child support,” said Jacquelyn Boggess, the Director of the Center for Family Policy and Practice (CFFPP).
And what about poor families? “Studies show that low-income men do not pay child support because they simply do not have the money. To take away their driver’s license or put them in jail merely prevents these men from getting or keeping jobs, which in turn prevents them from paying their child support. It’s a vicious cycle that doesn’t benefit either the parents or the children. And it keeps huge numbers of black men in jail.” CFFPP is a national leader in asking policymakers to stop jailing poor and unemployed men who are unable to pay their child support debt.
