Child Support Conviction and Recidivism: A Statistical Interaction Pattern by Race

Abstract

An estimated 50,000 parents are behind bars on average daily for child support nonpayment, but information about these fathers and their recidivism rates are lacking. Using a jail sample (N = 16,382), multinomial logistics regression method was utilized; subgroup analysis was used to investigate differential beta weights of predictor variables. Informed by Critical Race Theory, findings showed that fathers incarcerated for arrears had significantly higher rates of recidivism than other jailed men, but had an interaction effect with race. After controlling for age, education, and prior attendance at 12-step meetings, Black fathers but NOT White fathers showed significant post-release recidivism. Implications are discussed.

Keywords::

• Child support
• criminal justice
• recidivism
• jail inmates
• reentry needs

Acknowledgments

Findings from this paper were presented at the 2013 SSWR conference in San Diego.

The authors thank the ACJ Collaborative and the Human Service Integration Fund (represented by more than a dozen major philanthropic foundations of the Greater Pittsburgh region) for supporting this study. The astute and facilitating national advisory committee members included Alfred Blumstein and Jonathan Caulkins of Carnegie-Mellon University; Martin Horn of the New York Departments of Correction and Probation; Stephen Ingley, a former president of the American Jail Association; Nancy La Vigne, a senior researcher, Urban Institute, Washington DC; and Calvin Lightfoot, who is a former warden of the ACJ and initiated the ACJ Collaborative.

Notes

Maggie McGowan Davis is now at the University of West Florida.

^1. See Solomon-Fears, Smith, and Berry (2012) for a review of child support enforcement policies. State-by-state penalties include hefty fines and incarceration with Arkansas as the harshest with up to 20 years in prison for non-payment of child support.