Missouri law makes it a crime when a parent fails to pay child support. The Missouri Public Defender System handles roughly 6,000 of these cases annually. During a House Budget Committee hearing, System Director Mary Fox says handling those cases in civil court, instead of criminal court, could have a significant financial impact on her office.
Fox says in St. Louis County, the prosecutor has chosen to handle those cases in civil court instead of criminal court.
Fox says handling those cases in civil court, instead of criminal court, could have a significant financial impact on her office. She says those cases do not come and go quickly.
