“The Main Thing is My Bill and My Kids”: Legal Financial Obligations and Parenthood

• In Event: Criminal Legal Debt and Inequality

Abstract

Prior research on monetary sanctions indicates that a significant number of people assessed legal financial obligations (LFOs) support children, and parents who make regular LFO payments struggle to support their children. However, questions remain about the role that gender plays in the interaction between LFOs and parenthood. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with legal debtors across Georgia, Missouri, Minnesota, and New York, the current study explores the relationship between LFOs, parenthood, and gender. Findings from our analysis highlight how owing LFOs affect mothers and fathers differently, with mothers fearing loss of custody of their children due to inability to pay LFOs.

Authors

• Brittany T. Martin, University of Rhode Island

• Timothy Edgemon, Auburn University

• Veronica Horowitz, University at Buffalo, SUNY

• Andrea Giuffre, California State University, San Bernardino