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State Agencies
Collaborate to Help Increase Child Support Collections
Columbus - In the past six years, Ohio has decreased by more than half
the number of people coming to prison for not paying child support,
saving taxpayers money. Agency partnerships, locally operated
programs and legislative changes have led to the drastic decrease in
those coming to prison, allowing these individuals to stay in their
communities and continue to make their court-ordered payments.
The total number of offenders entering prison for non-payment of child
support has decreased to 342 in fiscal year 2014 compared to 781 in
fiscal year 2008.
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) has been
partnering with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS),
the ODJFS Office of Child Support and the Ohio Child Support
Enforcement Agency Directors’ Association to form a collaboration to
enhance outcomes associated with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated
parents who have child support obligations. Through these
efforts, Community Corrections Act grants were initiated in targeted
counties aimed at reducing the number of offenders sent to prison for a
non-support offense and to increase collection.
ODJFS and DRC work together to improve outreach to incarcerated and
formerly incarcerated parents, to give them more information about
Ohio’s child support program and to help remove barriers to the payment
of support. ODJFS provides outreach materials during reentry fairs,
makes presentations at correctional facilities, and conducts workshops
at employment centers. ODJFS also visits correctional facilities and
meets with inmates who are 60 to 90 days from release to share
information about fatherhood, child support and available job search
assistance.
“The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services does a great deal of
outreach at correctional facilities, to help fathers become more
engaged with their children,” said ODJFS Director Cynthia C. Dungey.
“We have collaborated with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and
Correction to open employment centers inside five state prisons, and we
discuss child support and responsible fatherhood with inmates who are
nearing release.”
“Ohio’s recidivism rate is among the lowest in the nation, and
partnerships such as the one we have with the Ohio Department of Job
and Family Services have helped to keep our recidivism rate low,”
stated DRC Director Gary C. Mohr. “The significant reduction of
non-support offenders coming to prison is not only saving taxpayers
money, but it is helping to sustain Ohio families and children.”
In September 2011, sentencing reform legislation was enacted that
encouraged judges to look at alternatives to prison for appropriate
offenders, specifically those who have not previously participated in a
local sanction for the same offense. DRC continues to fund these
local efforts, and $1,034,687 was provided for community alternatives
in fiscal year 2014.
The total amount of child support collected by DRC-funded local
programs in fiscal year 2011 was $523,179, and it increased to $583,828
in fiscal year 2014.
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