In Detroit, felony non-payment of child support is truly at the noncustodial parent’s peril.

The punishment for criminal non-support includes … court-ordered television.

Really.

A Detroit criminal court judge requires monthly viewing of a daytime television talk show as a condition of probation for felony non-payment of support.

The show reportedly focuses on paternity-related disputes with some frequency, and paints the proverbial “deadbeat dads” unfavorably.

The judge also requires the convicted parent to review and discuss the program with their probation officer.

Since beginning this practice, the judge has been a guest on the television program.

And the show’s host is a fan of the judge.

Presumably, the court-ordered TV is not the only punishment meted out in this judge’s courtroom for criminal non-payment of child support.

Read more in this Detroit [MI] Free Press article: Behind in child support? ‘Maury’ may be in your future.

In one North Carolina county, the number of children in foster care has gone down, pretty dramatically, over the last several years.

How did they accomplish it?

The child welfare agency there has been experimenting with several preventative, early intervention programs, using government and charitable funds grants.

Each program or service has a different focus, such as:

1. maintaining the involvement of fathers in their children’s lives
2. assigning a nurse to each new mother during her baby’s first two years
3. promoting relationships between parents and extended family members
4. offering therapeutic foster care services, to train and support parents of children with special needs
5. placing removed children with extended family members rather than in foster care with strangers

Between 2002 and 2009, the number of children in foster care in this North Carolina county shrank from 573 to 396.

Read more in this [Greensboro, NC] News & Record article: Editorial: Keeping families whole.

Central Florida Husband and Wife, a nurse, are going through a divorce three years into their marriage.

Wife reportedly enters Husband’s home to collect things, expecting him to be away.

Husband drives a truck, and had previously purchased a taser gun, reportedly for protection from Wife (and, possibly, others, while on the road on his truck).

Husband returns.

Couple argue.

Wife allegedly punches Husband in nose.

Husband shoots Wife with his taser gun, allegedly in self-defense and to stop her from getting a kitchen knife.

Wife is arrested for battery.

Husband is not arrested.

Read more in this Orlando Fox TV 35 News article: Man says he tasered wife in defense and this Phoenix Fox KSAZ TV 10 news article: Husband uses Taser on Wife to stop Beating.

Canadian Husband and Wife separate and later divorce.

Wife gets custody of their three Boys, who are all close with each other.

About 10 years after Husband and Wife’s separation, Boys choose to move in with Husband. Boys are about 10, 12 and 17 years old at that time.

Boys allege that Wife is physically and verbally abusive toward them.

Wife insists Husband has alienated the Boys from her. For what it’s worth, a social worker agrees.

The oldest boy reaches 18 years of age.

The trial court orders the two younger boys into treatment for parental alienation.

The boys reportedly resist the “treatment”. Sometimes referred to as “deprogramming”.

The two younger boys are placed in foster care.

Psychiatrist concludes the boys have no psychiatric disorder, recommends suspending treatment for alienation, and recommends resuming contact between the younger boys, their older brother and Husband.

Court disregards psychiatrist’s professional opinion, orders that younger boys continue treatment for alienation and continues to bar contact with older brother and Husband.

Five months later, the two younger boys remain in foster care.

With case in limbo and contact between brothers still prohibited, older brother decides to seek custody of his younger brothers.

The court holds that the older brother has standing.

Predictably, Wife appeals.

Read more in this Toronto Star article: Custody battle ‘beyond tragic’.

Florida Husband and Wife divorce.

Husband is ordered to pay Wife alimony.

Husband moves to Indonesia.

Husband allegedly stops paying support.

Indonesia apparently does not honor or enforce US court orders on support.

Husband’s support arrears are reportedly close to $200,000.

Husband returns to US to attend a wedding.

Husband is arrested.

Husband is held without bail.

Read more in this [Jacksonville] Florida Times-Union article: Busted: Exiled, alimony-owing ex returns to Jacksonville and stakeout and this News 4 Jax article: Man Owing $188K In Alimony Arrested.

Seventy year old New Mexico Father is behind on child support, to the tune of $13,500.

Father is held in contempt of court.

As punishment for his contempt, Father is sentenced to up to three months of incarceration.

Who is the insolent Father who appears to have no respect for the Court’s child support order or the law?

None other than a former municipal court judge.

Who was reportedly also previously accused of sexual harassment by three court clerks.

Read more in this [Midland, TX] KWES NewsWest 9 TV news article: Former Santa Fe judge jailed over child support.

Russian Mother and French Father divorce in France, where they have been living.

French court awards custody of their then 1 year old Child to Father.

Mother returns to former Soviet Union.

Child is reportedly abducted back and forth multiple times over last two years since divorce, most recently allegedly by Mother, to former Soviet Union.

During a previous abduction, Child did not see Father for 10 months and knew Mother’s new partner as her father.

What of the future?

Father opposes sharing joint legal custody with Mother but is not opposed to Mother having two months’ (or even equal) timesharing with Child in the former Soviet Union … as long as the Child’s return to France is guaranteed, he has ongoing video and phone contact with Child while she is in the former Soviet Union and Child attends a French-speaking school.

Meanwhile, Mother is under arrest and being detained in Hungary for up to 40 days pending a request for extradition from France.

But Father does not want to see Mother jailed for kidnapping Child.

Read more in this [Russian] RIA Novosti article: French father dismisses joint custody, in favor of visitation.

Mother and Father have Baby.

Mother lives in North Carolina with Baby.

Father, a member of the armed forces, removes Baby and brings Baby to live with him on base in California.

Implication is that Baby may be at risk with Mother.

There is no information as to whether a court ever determined custody or whether Mother ever sought Baby’s return.

Some time later, seven month old Baby dies while in Father’s care.

Of blunt force trauma to head and abdomen.

Father arrested for child abuse causing death.

Father faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Read more in this [Barstow, CA] Desert Dispatch article:Former soldier charged in fatal child abuse case goes to trial.

Georgia Mother and Father separate.

Mother reports Father for child abuse.

Mother’s allegations are determined to be unfounded.

Father is awarded sole custody of their two Children in divorce.

While she has visitation with the Children, Mother reportedly flees.

First to Texas, where she has relatives.

And again reports Father for child abuse.

Texas authorities decline to take Mother into custody despite knowing of arrest warrant.

Then, allegedly, to Mexico, where she is from.

Authorities are looking for Mother in connection with federal charges of international parental kidnapping and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and state charges of felony interference with child custody.

If caught and convicted, Mother faces incarceration for up to five years.

Read more in this Jacksonville [FL] Times-Union article: Kids believed hidden in Mexico.

Today, mothers celebrate Mother’s Day with their children.

A foster mother and adoptive mother is among them.

While she is celebrating Mother’s Day, she also celebrates the selflessness of the birth mothers of her adopted children.

And she wishes those birth mothers a Happy Mother’s Day as well.

Read more in this Examiner editorial: Happy Mother’s Day to my children’s birthmoms and this Woonsocket Call article: There’s plenty of love to go around on Mother’s Day.