Many of these parents, mostly fathers, are overwhelmed and intimidated by the legal process and have dug themselves into a hole they don't know how to get out of, according to Cynthia Hagar, Kern County's Public Services Coordinator with the Family Support Division. Every PACT father is given the opportunity to tell his story in class. Typically, he discovers that he is not alone in feeling angry and frustrated with his predicament. Getting a hearing, finding common ground, and receiving support from others are new and welcome experiences to many of these men. PACT's four three-hour classes focus on anger, the costs involved in raising a child, what abandonment by a parent does to a child, and how the participants can shape a more pleasing legacy for themselves.
Facilitators also address budgeting issues and communicating with former spouses and girlfriends.
Staff members of Kern County's Family Support Division are present at the final class to provide instruction on how to work with the legal system in regard to child support, including information on having orders modified. Mac McCarthy, a Kern County Deputy District Attorney who has prosecuted many nonsupport cases, believes the program is effective because collections have increased and PACT graduates appear to have a heightened sense of parental responsibility. In fact, McCarthy reports that PACT graduates pay their child support at twice the rate of other convicted noncompliant parents. Moreover, two thirds of the PACT parents are in at least approximate compliance one year later, compared to only one third of the nonPACT parents. Approximate compliance is defined as paying regular monthly child support payments in the amount ordered by the court, or somewhat lower amounts if there are extenuating circumstances.