Many parents throughout the country struggle to receive the payments they are owed by their noncustodial counterparts. Warrants for the arrest of individuals guilty of not paying child support in New Jersey have seen an increase last year and the effects are being felt by custodial parents and governmental agencies alike.

One woman, a 40-year-old mother of two from Beachwood, New Jersey, makes daily calls to her county’s probation office in the hopes that they will arrest her children’s respective fathers. According to her, she is owed thousands of dollars in back child support. Because she does not receive payments, she often has to go to food banks to keep her children fed. One of her children, age 20, has autism. Due to her daughter’s condition, the 40-year-old has little time to supplement her income and is struggling to pay her utility bills.

Other custodial parents in New Jersey are also feeling similar pains.

In December, many arrest warrants were served to individuals who did not make their child support payments. According to statistics released by the Sheriff’s Association of New Jersey, Ocean County had the highest number of served warrants with 88. Monmouth County was a close second with 87.

When the two counties and their delinquent child support amounts were examined, the roles were reversed. Ocean County had the second highest amount of unpaid support with $1.42 million while Monmouth County had $1.64 million in uncollected supported, taking the top spot among counties in the state.

A total of 987 warrants were served across the state during its annual crackdown on delinquent child support. The two aforementioned counties accounted for 18 percent of the total number of arrests made.

Source: Asbury Park Press, “Parents find sour economy another hurdle to collecting child support,” Amanda Oglesby, Dec. 29, 2011