JEFFERSON COUNTY - So far this year, Colorado has collected $248 million in child support. Millions more goes unpaid. One county is using a revolutionary system to get more dollars to more children.
In a court room in Jefferson County, you'll find a lot of parents who are there because they have to be, yet say nothing but nice things about the process.
"They are thanking us for introducing them back to their children and helping them feel confident that they are doing the right thing," Katie Smith said.
She works with the Problem Solving Court.
Casie Stokes is an assistant county attorney. She works on 30 to 50 child support cases a day. She knows most people would assume it is a tense place to be, but she says it isn't.
"I've heard it described as a intimate therapeutic environment, which I agree with," she said.
It is one of the reasons Magistrate Marianne Tims says it works so well.
"Even with the economy the way it's been the last few years, we are collecting more than $1 million a year out of this courtroom," she said.
She says the key is dealing with the root of the issue. She says "not paying support" is just a symptom.
"We have very few who come here that society would call deadbeat dads," Tims said.
Smith agrees.
"It often stems from poor relationships with the mother or they are not able to see their children, felonies, unemployment drug and alcohol, and mental health issues," she said.
They are all reasons, she says, they get lost in the system.
Parents who get too far behind go to jail for 180 days. The court recognized that does nothing to solve the problem or get kids the support they need. So, it started focusing on supporting the parents through their personal challenges and helping parents reconnect with their kids.
There are a lot of cases Kenneth Boetcher says he'll never forget. But the child support specialist says the story about a dad he helped get back in touch with his son stands out.
"He actually talked to his son for 93 minutes exactly is what he told me, because he had to keep checking his phone it was so surreal," Boetcher said.
He says that was a child who now talks to his father after being estranged for 17 years. The relationship was rebuilt. The money hasn't been an issue since.
Many parents, both moms and dads, who find themselves in court are there because of the economy.
One dad said, "I was working for the other two companies. I got laid off. I'm having a hard time paying now."
Stokes says the goal is to figure out a way to support both sides in the matter.
"Everyone falls on rough times and I think deserves an opportunity to pick themselves back up and I appreciate that we can be that helping hand," she said.
For every $1 the court spends, Jefferson County says it collects $8. It is a success rate that is getting the attention of other jurisdictions. Jefferson County hopes to be a model for other places, not just to collect money, but to inspire more family reconnections.
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