[MegaSilver]

I have a better idea: put the kid in stocks for a couple of days, or beat him, then let him go.

[TheSpottedOwl]

A law that took effect last summer made the process easier for the state, and as a result, parents increasingly are being forced to pay when their children are sent away. Even parents who are the victims of their children’s crimes can be required to pay.

Ping for your info Roger.

I've had to pay for court costs due to a fireworks possession arrest for my son, who was 14 at the time. I also paid for the privilege of enrolling him in community service. The second time I went around with this was for a fight last year. My son is now on home studies.

It's kind of funny, but he did his time at a nursing home. He did both turns at community service there, and the director told me that he could have a part time job there any time he wanted one.

I feel bad for this woman in the story. She did her best to be a good, responsible parent. I know how it goes. I can't be away from the house longer than it takes to run to the grocery store when the kids are home. So much for FReeping :-(

[annyokie]

This is wrong. The parents did what they could do.

[TaxPayer2000]

Fortunately I keep a running "tab" for my daughter for just such an emergency. If ever she decides to sue me for bad parenting, then I will hand her the bill.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Note how governments are increasingly billing for their acts even though we pay taxes to support their various functions. 1776?

[BykrBayb]

Child Protective Services is motivated to go after families who can pay large child support payments, and ignore families who can't. They do not base their decisions on the actual situation. I live in New Jersey, where that couple starved their foster children. I forget how many, if any, died, but there was a 19 year old who weighed something like 40 pounds! The case workers kept ignoring the situation, and filing false reports stating that everything was just fine. About the same time, my son ran away from home a couple weeks before his 17th birthday. He was staying with friends 2 blocks away, because our rules were too oppressive. We were working with the parents to convince him to come back home. The day he decided to come home, Division of Youth & Family Services (DYFS) picked him up and put him in a group home, because they claimed he was homeless and I had abandoned him. It went through the court system, and the judge saw through their scheme. He ordered my son returned to me, ordered that I did not have to pay DYFS any money, and declared that I was not guilty of any crime. That was 1998. I'm still fighting DYFS to force them to ammend their records to reflect the court rulings. They have me listed as guilty of child abandonment, child neglect, and lack of supervision. It's all about the money.

[petitfour]

Governor Warner will do whatever it takes to eek out every last penny he can from every last citizen. If you have a criminal relative, then you must pay the state.

[RGSpincich]

It makes sense to reimburse the state for the expenses that the parent will not incur because the state is feeding and clothing the child.