Child Support Payments Increase : Amnesty Plan Gets Many Delinquent Fathers to Pay Up

Delinquent fathers in six counties paid $1.2 million more in child support last month than they did in the same period last year, and state officials believe that a new amnesty program may have spurred the increase.

However, in Los Angeles County, where the district attorney’s office refused to participate in the program, a $2.2-million increase was charted by stepping up more traditional efforts.

State officials voiced cautious optimism for the amnesty program during a press conference Thursday in Los Angeles to publicize a “Pay Your Child Support: You Owe It to Your Kids” billboard campaign

“It’s too early to say if this program will have a significant lasting effect on the problem, but we are encouraged,” said Thomas E. Warriner, deputy secretary of the state Health and Welfare Agency.

Higher Figure

He noted that the participating counties averaged an 18% increase in payments last month contrasted with June, 1984.

Under the amnesty plan, delinquent fathers will not be prosecuted if they arrange to make the payments they owe between June 16 and Aug. 19. The program is operating in Orange, Riverside, Kern, Santa Cruz, Sacramento and Ventura counties.

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner has said the amnesty program is “not practical,” because it in effect tells police officers to ignore enforcement of court-issued warrants.

Instead, Los Angeles County has relied on a highly publicized sweep in which delinquent fathers were arrested on outstanding warrants and warning letters were sent to 25,000 of the 275,000 delinquent parents.

In June, Los Angeles County collected $7.3 million, an increase of about 44% over June, 1984, when a similar but less extensive sweep was conducted. This year’s June sweep netted 400 fathers, and since then another 14,000 have contacted authorities to discuss the problem, according to Cheryl Ward Smith, Reiner’s special assistant for family support.

“Los Angeles County is making a half-hearted effort to solve the problem, “ Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred, who had previously tangled with Reiner on the issue, said at the press conference. “They’ve sent out 25,000 collection letters, but there are 10 times that number of files. And they should be acting as a team with other counties to solve this problem.”

The Santa Cruz County district attorney’s office, which had the highest increase of the counties participating in the state amnesty program, reported that $341,407 was collected in June, a 69% increase over June, 1984.

Other Increases

Ventura County collected $1.2 million for a 53% increase; Kern County collected $1.03 million, a 17% increase; Orange County collected $2.2 million, a 16% increase, and Sacramento County collected $1.07 million, a 6% increase.

Riverside County experienced a decrease in collections, dropping 2% to $1.2 million contrasted with last year. Deputy Dist. Atty. Roger Robbins had no explanation for the decrease.