The Parental Accountability Court, a program offered by the Troup County Accountability Court, is a Judge-ordered program that was designed to identify barriers that prevent non-custodial parents from making timely monthly child support payments.
An alternative to incarceration, participants are required to attend weekly meetings with the program coordinator, pay toward their child support at each weekly meeting, appear at monthly court status hearings before the Honorable Superior Court Judge John Simpson, and obtain a GED if applicable.
Participants in Parental Accountability Court must have an active child support case through the Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) and must have an active contempt or pending arrest order. Participants must also pass a background check whereas violent crimes are not acceptable.
The program helps the participants identify probable deterrents and develop increased personal responsibility, while keeping them out of jail and allowing them the benefit of the release of their driver’s license. The program also encourages education through offering no-cost GED classes. Participants may graduate from the program after paying child support consistently for six to twelve months, maintaining employment, and meeting other obligations.