Monday, April 06, 2009
WHO IS BENEFITING FROM THE INCARCERATION OF "DEADBEATS?"
According to the article Economy lands more deadbeat parents behind bars "Twenty two percent of the inmates in the Berkeley County Jail are deadbeats. Twenty one percent in the Dorchester County Jail are there for not paying child support. And sixteen and a half percent of the inmates in the Charleston County Jail are deadbeats."
According to the article Economy lands more deadbeat parents behind bars "Twenty two percent of the inmates in the Berkeley County Jail are deadbeats. Twenty one percent in the Dorchester County Jail are there for not paying child support. And sixteen and a half percent of the inmates in the Charleston County Jail are deadbeats."
We wonder if jailing these men is resulting in an increase in child support collections and, if not, who is benefiting from the practice. Do the Sheriffs benefit? Do the Sheriffs and the Clerks benefit? Do the Judges and the Clerks benefit? Do the Counties receive free labor? Does anyone even know how long the average "Deadbeat" stays in jail, how much it costs to house and feed him during that period, the average fine imposed, the cost of prosecution, or who receives the fines imposed by the Court?
All philosophical considerations aside, in times of budgetary shortfalls, the Family Courts, the various County Councils, and the South Carolina General Assembly may want to examine whether incarcerating people who have not been convicted of a crime is either an efficient use of limited government resources or an effective procedure for increasing the rate of child support collection.
Labels: "Deadbeat Dads", Child Support Collection, Civil Contempt
Comments:
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Of course, thousands of more people wouldn't pay if they weren't afraid of being locked up. I've seen the fear of jail bring the money in for 20 years. Nothing else works like it. Many people raise the money necessary to be release in a matter of hours. If we don't enforce, many people won't pay. That is a fact.
Punishment is never cost effective until you consider the costs of massive non compliance if there were no penalties. Locking people up for murder, rape and robbery is a huge waste, but a world where people will kill, rape or rob you is so dysfunctional that we spend the money on prisons and jails.
Punishment is never cost effective until you consider the costs of massive non compliance if there were no penalties. Locking people up for murder, rape and robbery is a huge waste, but a world where people will kill, rape or rob you is so dysfunctional that we spend the money on prisons and jails.
You are missing our point. There is no question that, when used judiciously, the coercive powers of civil contempt can reap tremendous benefits. The question is, however, whether, as a whole, society benefits from the massive incarceration of "Deadbeats" that is occurring in the Tri-County area of Charleston.
From what we can see, there is no consistency involved in the application of the law, many judges do not understand civil contempt, the amount of the fines imposed is arbitrary, and nobody seems to know how much money is being generated by this practice or how it is being used.
What is clear is that new jails have had to be built to warehouse these men. And yet, the child support collection rate in South Carolina is abysmal to say the least.
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From what we can see, there is no consistency involved in the application of the law, many judges do not understand civil contempt, the amount of the fines imposed is arbitrary, and nobody seems to know how much money is being generated by this practice or how it is being used.
What is clear is that new jails have had to be built to warehouse these men. And yet, the child support collection rate in South Carolina is abysmal to say the least.
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