This page compiles a series of research briefs and study reports that share lessons learned through implementation of the Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt (PJAC) demonstration project.
The PJAC model integrates procedural justice principles into child support enforcement business practices. Procedural justice is the idea that an individual’s perception of fairness during a process, and how they were treated, has a stronger impact on their compliance than their perception of fairness of the outcome. Through the PJAC model, OCSE seeks to increase parents’ compliance with child support orders by increasing trust and confidence in the child support agency and its processes.
- A New Response to Child Support Noncompliance: Introducing the Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt Project
(PDF) (6/2019)
— Provides an overview of the PJAC demonstration. - Incorporating Strategies Informed by Procedural Justice into Child Support Services: Training Approaches Applied in the PJAC Demonstration Project
(PDF) (7/2019)
— Describes the specialized training provided to child support staff at the six participating sites that are adapting procedural justice-informed approaches to their work with parents. - Using Principles of Procedural Justice to Engage Disconnected Parents
(PDF) (3/2020)
— Describes the outreach and engagement strategies employed by PJAC project staff members in their work with both noncustodial and custodial parents. - Who Is at Risk of Contempt of Court for Child Support Noncompliance? Characteristics of Parents Enrolled in the Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt Demonstration
(PDF) (6/2020)
— Describes the characteristics of the noncustodial parents in the PJAC study sample and what case managers believe led them to the point of contempt. - Working Toward a Resolution: Facilitating Dialogue Between Parents Using Principles of Procedural Justice
(PDF) (9/2020)
— Describes the case conference component of the PJAC model, in which a PJAC case manager facilitates a discussion between the noncustodial and custodial parents. - Procedural Justice Principles in the Midst of a Major Disruption: What Several Months of COVID-19 Revealed in the PJAC Demonstration
(PDF) (12/2020)
— Describes the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on parents served by the PJAC project and examines PJAC sites’ initial responses to the pandemic. - Civil Contempt of Court for Child Support Noncompliance at the PJAC Demonstration Sites
(PDF) (2/2021)
— Explains which parents PJAC sites refer to civil contempt for not paying child support, and describes the business-as-usual contempt proceedings. - Reducing Child Support Debt in the Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt (PJAC) Demonstration
(PDF) (6/2021)
— Describes PJAC’s approach to forgiving noncustodial parents' child support debt as an incentive to make consistent payments, be more involved with children, and participate in employment services. - Integrating Procedural Justice Principles into Child Support Case Management: How Staff Members Experienced the Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt (PJAC) Demonstration
(PDF) (9/2021)
— Describes delivery of services from the perspective of PJAC case managers. - Procedural Justice in Child Support Enforcement: Lessons from an Implementation Study of the Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt Demonstration
(PDF) (3/2022)
— Provides a systematic analysis of implementation of the PJAC model and describes how procedural justice can be integrated into existing child support processes. - Procedural Justice in the Child Support Process: An Implementation Guide
(PDF) (3/2022)
— Offers strategies to help child support agencies implement alternatives to traditional contempt processes and includes materials that reflect principles of procedural justice. - A Comparison of Approaches Informed by Procedural Justice and Traditional Enforcement in the Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt Demonstration
(PDF) (6/2022)
— Compares the service and enforcement experiences of parents receiving PJAC services to those receiving business-as-usual services. - Parents’ Reflections on Their Experiences with the Child Support Program in the Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt Demonstration
(PDF) (8/2022)
— Describes the child support experiences of parents receiving PJAC services compared to those receiving business-as-usual services. - Testing a New Approach to Addressing Nonpayment of Child Support: Effects of the Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt Demonstration
(4/2023)
—Describes PJAC's effectiveness at improving parents' payment and debt outcomes using administrative data. - From Grant-Funded Study to Enduring Practice: How Agencies in the Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt Demonstration Continued Their Work After the Research Ended
(4/2023)
—Describes ways child support agencies continued to integrate procedural justice principles after the PJAC study ended. - Comparing the Costs and Benefits of Two Approaches to Addressing Nonpayment of Child Support: Results from the Benefit-Cost Analysis in the Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt Demonstration
(9/2023)
—Compares the benefits and costs of PJAC services with those of business-as-usual child support enrollment.
Disclaimers:
These are not OCSE publications. MDRC produced them under contract to the State of Georgia’s Division of Child Support Services in the Department of Human Services, with funds from the PJAC evaluation grant awarded by OCSE to the state. These publications are in the public domain. Permission to reproduce is not necessary.
The views expressed in these publications do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of OCSE, the Administration for Children and Families, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.