Alternative to jail being considered for ‘dead beat’ dads

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Minister of Legal Affairs, Steadroy “Cutie” Benjamin said the government is considering an alternative proposal  in pursuing dads who don’t pay child support, rather than sending them to jail.
 “We [are] looking at the law and we are hoping to develop alternative sentencing schemes so that
we wouldn’t have to incarcerate these men,” Benjamin said.
“There is some justification for that and at the moment I have assigned the team from the legal affairs department” to look at the other options.
Benjamin said, “Once we have conducted our reports, we will submit it to the Cabinet and Parliament and discussions will be happening and then we will implement it in the law.”
Antigua & Barbuda already has an attachment order in place for men who default on their child support payments.
Benjamin told OBSERVER media, “An attachment order in Antigua & Barbuda [has] been in place for quite some time now, where the magistrate sitting can by order, write to the employer of the dad with a special form, indicating that x amount of dollars will be paid to whomever.”

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