Macomb County goes after unpaid child support with help from state grant

Macomb County goes after unpaid child support with help from state grant  FOX 2 Detroit

Macomb County goes after unpaid child support with help from state grant

Macomb County gets state grant for paternity rights and enforcing child support

FOX 2 (WJBK) – The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office has received a grant from the state to establish paternity and initial child support orders. It will also fund the enforcement of nonpayment of child support orders through felony non-support prosecutions.

Amnesty Program for Delinquent Fathers

  • One result is an amnesty program, with those owing $5,000 or more will have their felony warrants waived as long as they begin payments, said Prosecutor Pete Lucido.
  • “Those felony warrants were here long before I got here but guess what? I’m going to give you a chance to get your warrant lifted,” he said. “I’m going to give you a chance to go ahead and start making your payment so those mothers get the money they need to take care of their children.

Establishing Parentage and Support Orders

  • “We have attorneys that go ahead and establish parentage which means that they’re the biological father and then afterward we get a support order when the fathers don’t pay. We give them a chance to go ahead and work something out.”

Supporting Children and Holding Fathers Accountable

  • Lucido said if the father is disabled and can’t work, his office will make the court aware. But if the father is able-bodied, “No way,” he said, adding that he wants those children supported.

The Scale of Unpaid Child Support

  • “We have 7,500 cases open that are $5,000 or more. Do you know what that means? $38 million there,” Lucido said. “But we believe it’s more like $12,000, $15,000, $20,000 per case, which will bring it close to $100 million.”
  • Lucido said that in one case, one offender owes about $1 million in child support. He says the biggest victim in all of these cases are the children themselves.

Appeal to Fathers to Pay Support

  • “Mothers have cried out to me and said, ‘I need to get the money to support my children. I don’t want to go on services. I don’t want to have the (taxpayer expended funds utilized when the father is able-bodied),'” he said. “Do the right thing. Fathers pay your support.”

Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

  • SDG 1: No Poverty
  • SDG 5: Gender Equality
  • SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
  • SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

  • SDG 1.3: Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable.
  • SDG 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.
  • SDG 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status.
  • SDG 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

  • Indicator for SDG 1.3: Proportion of population covered by social protection floors/systems, disaggregated by sex, age group, and persons with disabilities.
  • Indicator for SDG 5.2: Number of victims of trafficking in persons per 100,000 population, by sex, age group, and form of exploitation.
  • Indicator for SDG 10.2: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, by age, sex, and persons with disabilities.
  • Indicator for SDG 16.3: Proportion of population who have experienced a dispute in the past two years and who accessed a formal or informal dispute resolution mechanism, by type of mechanism.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs Targets Indicators
SDG 1: No Poverty Target 1.3: Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable. Indicator: Proportion of population covered by social protection floors/systems, disaggregated by sex, age group, and persons with disabilities.
SDG 5: Gender Equality Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation. Indicator: Number of victims of trafficking in persons per 100,000 population, by sex, age group, and form of exploitation.
SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other status. Indicator: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, by age, sex, and persons with disabilities.
SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all. Indicator: Proportion of population who have experienced a dispute in the past two years and who accessed a formal or informal dispute resolution mechanism, by type of mechanism.

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Source: fox2detroit.com

 

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