Is there such a thing as house arrest for being in contempt of court?

Question

my ex took me to court for back child support in may, the court gave me till the end of july to come up with the money 2500.00, i could only come up with 1880 which straight to child support, the rest i owe to his attorney. now he is taking me back to court for being in contempt of court cause i didnt do all that i was suppose to do. i am a single mom of a 15 mth old baby and have a full time job that i cant lose, what are the other alternatives other than going to jail?

Answer 1

The alternative is that you develop a payment plan with the court. You have made an effort to pay what you owe. Make sure you bring proof that you paid the 1,880 with you to the court hearing. Simply tell the judge that you could not afford the full amount, but you are willing to pay it and would like to have a pay plan that you can afford, since you are a single mother.

They won't hold you in contempt. Just make sure that you bring proof that you already paid a portion of what you owe, and express your willingness to pay what you can afford.

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Edit:

The way to handle it in court is to clearly explain to the judge what has happened so far.  The judge will ask you why you have not paid.  Explain it to him, tell him you paid part already, and that you cannot afford to pay the rest all at once, and you would like to work out a plan to pay if possible.

Courts are receptive to this kind of thing.  Remember that judges are there to make a fair decision, not simply throw people in jail.

Answer 2

as long as you pay so much a month, the court will not put you in jail.  

Answer 3

You can try to make a deal where they "garnish" your wages for the unpaid amount. Figure out how much you can afford from each paycheck, and remember to calculate that you have to keep current with child support while you're catching up on the other. Then arrange to have the court garnish your pay.

When your pay is garnished your employer automatically deducts the amount and mails it to whomever the court says. Sometimes it's to the court, who then sends it ot the ex. Sometimes it's right to the ex.

Sometimes you can set up these automatic withdrawals for current child support too. This way you never fall behind because it's taken directly from your paycheck.

This is one option. Some judges though might demand you pay the entire outstanding balance in one chunk. Others might work with you. Talk to your lawyer and see if this is an option.