by Mary W. Matthews

Created on: October 01, 2010   Last Updated: October 02, 2010

At first blush, jail time for deadbeat dads seems like an appealing idea: a serious way to make the offender understand that he has failed a significant responsibility. What could possibly be more important in any man’s life than the next generation? Who could easily contemplate abandoning his own flesh and blood to poverty, even homelessness; a bad or poor education; bad teeth and bad health; and very likely a life of crime, as the child, with no paternal role model, no allowance, no resources, and no hope, discovers how much easier it is to aid and abet the drug dealers, pimps or prostitutes, thieves, mobsters, and worse of this world?

Non-payment of child support is a significant problem in the United States. One estimate is that the nation’s children of “deadbeat” fathers suffer to the tune of approximately $100 BILLION each year. When child support is not paid, the overwhelming majority of children live in poverty and because their mothers must usually work two or more jobs, they are neglected as well.

But the term “deadbeat dad” is unfair. Yes, a few fathers DO intentionally damage their children’s futures because of some grievance against their ex-wives, their exes’ attorneys, or “the system” – maybe even as much as 5 percent. But what about a man who has cancer, a heart attack (or two), a stroke, or even an accident that makes him unable to work for a few months; loses his job; becomes homeless; and because he is so far behind in his child support loses his driver’s and other licenses? How is a man with bad health, no home, no job, no driver’s license, no license to work as an electrician, plumber, doctor, lawyer, fisher, or whatever; and a huge debt supposed to come up with, say, $30,000 per year to support his children? Oh, no, make that $50,000 a year to also pay lawyer’s fees, court costs, fines, and of course interest rates.

More than two-thirds of all so-called “deadbeat” dads have jobs that are at or below the poverty rate, meaning around $11,200 for a single dad, or around $21,800 for a man with an ex-wife and two children to support. Less than 4 (FOUR) percent earn more than $40,000 a year. It costs a minimum of $15,000 per year, on average, to rear one child to adulthood, and this does NOT include little details like pediatric well-care, orthodontists, swimming lessons, music lessons, summer camp, or clothing bought from some

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