In a post last week, we mentioned how authorities will sometimes try to combat child support delinquency through bringing criminal charges against individuals who allegedly have failed to pay child support that they owe. However, authorities will also sometimes forgo the use of sticks and instead try to use carrots to fight child support delinquency.

This can be seen in a program that was recently announced in a county in Indiana. The program is referred to as "Stop Delaying - Start Paying" and it is a child support amnesty program. Reportedly, the program will go on for six weeks.

Reportedly, if individuals who are behind on child support in the above-mentioned Indiana county participate in this program, they will get the chance to avoid criminal charges. The program will also reportedly give its participants the opportunity to receive career assistance.

This child support amnesty program and ones like it give rise to many interesting and important questions. Do individuals who are behind on their child support payments actually participate in fair numbers when these types of programs are offered? Are there any particular problems that arise with these sorts of programs? How effective are these types of programs at putting a stop to child support delinquency? How does this effectiveness compare to the effectiveness of methods such as bringing charges against individuals who are allegedly delinquent on their child support payments? Will we see more or less of these kinds of programs throughout the U.S. in upcoming years?

One wonders how these questions will ultimately be answered.

Source: The Indianapolis Star, "Prosecutor offers child support amnesty," Carrie Ritchie, Aug. 17, 2011