Alternative to Incarceration

In addition to serving voluntary participants, fatherhood programs in nine counties throughout the state provide a community-based Alternative to Incarceration component, called “Jobs not Jail”. Through a partnership with child support enforcement and court administration, Family Court Judges can court-order low-income noncustodial parents in contempt of court for nonpayment of child support into Fatherhood programs. While in the six-month program, parents who owe a legal duty of support  gain employment and consistently pay child support while gaining other valuable information and skills. To date, over 1,100 low-income parents have been diverted from local detention centers, ordered into these programs, and placed into livable wage employment.  The Jobs not Jail program reduces overcrowding in overly burdened detention centers and results in significant cost savings to taxpayers.

Jobs not Jail program locations include:

Man2Man (Marlboro County)

Midlands Fatherhood Coalition (Fairfield, Lexington and Richland Counties)

Upstate Fatherhood Coalition (Greenville and Spartanburg Counties)

Father to Father Project, Inc., (Charleston County)

Father to Father Georgetown (Georgetown County)

A Fathers Place (Horry County)