A California father who owes nearly $200,000 in back child support and interest has been sentenced to prison for his failure to make the ordered payments. On Tuesday the man was sentenced to six months in prison for failure to provide child support payments for his 13 year-old daughter.

The 43 year-old California man was previously convicted for failure to pay child support in 2006. At that time he was sentenced to 180 days in county jail.

Another arrest warrant was issued in 2007. After his release from the 2006 conviction, he continued to fail to make child support payments. He was also under a court order to report to the county Department of Child Support Services to update them about his efforts to obtain employment in order to provide funds for support. He failed to make these reports to the department or secure employment. The man was arrested in December on an unrelated charge.

While there will always be extreme cases, most parents want to ensure that their children have the resources to support their health, wellbeing, and education. A reasonable level of child support is based on the parents incomes, expenses related to the child, and the custody arrangement. When unforeseen factors result in a change in the parent's circumstances an order for support can be modified to ensure that the child's needs are met in the most reasonable and fair way possible.

The mother of the girl in this case indicated that it had been years since this man contacted, visited or financially supported their daughter's upbringing.

Source: The Californian "Salinas father sent to jail for failing to pay child support" February 23, 2011