One cannot be put in jail just because they are found to be the parent. An alleged parent does have the right to have an attorney represent him or her throughout the entire process, but the court will not provide or appoint an attorney to help, even if the alleged parent is low-income. After the appropriate answering papers are filed, a court date will probably be set for trial before a judge only. Juries no longer decide paternity cases. Often, the time waiting for the trial is spent investigating to find out what evidence the other side has to prove who are the parents.
Blood tests are among the most convincing evidence in a paternity case.
A blood test can exclude a parent or indicate how likely the person submitting to the flood test is a parent. These are very accurate, and one probably would need a statistics expert as a witness if he wanted to argue in court about what the blood tests mean. The tests are conducted on blood samples taken from the alleged parents and the child. Either side can request blood tests. The court has the power to order that the alleged parent s blood be tested in a paternity case, over an objection.