In society many fathers fail to provide momentary support to the custodial parent. Many face life changes issues if they can provide support to the child like, not able to obtain a passport, license suspended, on your credit report and even facing jail time. Many argue that they can afford to have legal represent to help them with the child support to be able to support the child and they court system will not point them legal assisting in their cases. Everyday their our million cases of child support hearing across the county and many need legal assisting in their cases, but none never received that help of legal represents in the cases. A cases in South Carolina a man Michael Turner was jailed because he couldn't not provide support to his children. He argued that he was unstable and couldn't support at this time and he also feel that a lawyer could help him with this domestic case in the child support court. His lawyers argued that his liberty to represent in a domestic cases is just like any cases. No matter if the state help these men in their cases they still will cost them more money if they put them in jail for not support their children, Every citizen should have assisting in help them in domestic cases just like civil or criminal cases.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/24/us/24scotus.html
Stephanie Reynolds
ReplyDeleteIn Arizona I know the courts do provide either reduced or free legal counsel up to a certain point during child support hearings. I think that more than not these men would still not pay their child support due just not wanting to or feeling they shouldn't have to. In most cases the non=custodial parent doesn't show up for hearings or disregards letters from the courts until it's too late and the bill has surmounted to a figure their unable to pay. This is how the Arizona court system works as for other states I'm not sure, but waiting and blaming the courts for their inability to pay their support is not the issue of the courts, so no rights have been violated.
It seems that legal representation is only offered in criminal cases. I feel there’s a good thing and a bad thing to this. The good is it helps those who cannot afford attorneys. The bad is there are times when the attorney that is assigned doesn’t really try to help the one be charged. However I do believe that legal representation should be offered in all case, whether it is civil or criminal. There are defendants in each; civil or criminal, case that cannot afford an attorney. I do not know anyone that been in a case that had to do with child support but I do know a few mothers that are struggling taking care of their kids while the “father” or “baby daddy” is out making more kids and not helping. As a man that believes “all men should provide for their child”, in these situations I would say the father should have to pay for the lawyer his self, without the help of the state or government.
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