Bill McKinney, an Oklahoma County assistant public defender, said he now requests support payments from all but a few parents whose children are taken away for abuse or neglect. Parents who are receiving public assistance also lose those payments while their children are in custody. McKinney said payments force parents to take responsibility for their behavior and also makes it easier to terminate parental rights if necessary. One affluent Tulsa couple challenged the law in early 1997, saying they shouldn t have to disclose financial information. That information is used to calculate the amount of child support.
Most payments are far lower than that.
Even the highest payments cover only a portion of some juveniles upkeep. Susan Krug, advocate general for the Juvenile Affairs Office, said the payments tend to catch parents attention. In most cases, the parent has contributed to where this kid is today in their life, Krug said. It s the one thing that gets their attention, that they are part of the problem and need to be part of the solution. Money collected from support doesn t go into a general fund.