Comments on: Can You Go to Jail For Not Paying a Debt?

By: Kristy

Kristy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:09:36 +0000

@Greg – I don’t know the answer to this, but I’ll try and find out.

By: Greg

Greg — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:06:19 +0000

Yes, debtor’s jail exists for non payment of child support! The myth of the deadbeat dad is pervasive and society allows crucifixion of Dads. (The vast majority of them are broke, not deadbeats) In fact, for those women who have to pay child support, they are more than 4x likely to default on payments than the men are. Courts rarely lower CS for Dads, in fact, I was unemployed and on disability and was unable to get it lowered!

I have a similar issue to the main topic maybe someone can answer. On Contempt of court for failure to pay attorney fees: If the Judges Order to pay fees is motioned for, approved, and later, the Order is “Reduced to Judgment” can the court still enforce a new contempt motion against the original order? (I had one atty. say no, that the original order no longer stands, but another disagreed). I actually got contempt motion in this situation dismissed w/ prej. but I never got the answer to this question. I think this outcome is based on whatever the Judge was smoking this morning ….

By: Kristy

Kristy — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:30:27 +0000

@ED – Hmmm…the child support angle. I haven’t thought about that aspect before. Maybe it would make an good topic for another post.

By: Ed

Ed — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:12:47 +0000

A significant percentage of people in local jails are there for not paying a financial debt called “child support.”

I have no children and am not a lawyer, but I’ve seen how some mothers manipulate the system to get excessive and unjust child support awards. If the father cannot afford to pay them (unemployment, etc) they go to jail!

How they are supposed to pay from jail what they could not afford to pay out of jail defies logic.

In cases where female parents walk away from their their children and leave the father holding the bag, a relatively far smaller percentage of these women are sent to jail.

There seems to be a lack parity when it comes to this area of law. Even though these are financial debts, hundreds of thousands of men have been jailed for not being able to pay them.

Thanks for putting together such a great website, Kristy!