Virginia might stop seeking child support payments from parents of incarcerated youth Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center is Virginia's largest. (Source: Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center) By Graham Moomaw | February 17, 2021 at 6:51 PM EST - Updated February 17 at 6:51 PM
Virginia has a law on the books that requires the state Department of Social Services to seek child support payments from parents of juvenile offenders in custody, ostensibly to help cover the costs of housing and educating incarcerated youth.
It only brings in about $300,000 to $400,000 per year, a tiny fraction of the Department of Juvenile Justice’s total budget of roughly $232 million. But the impact on low-income families is no small matter, advocates say. That’s why state lawmakers are pushing to get rid of the practice altogether.