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 Using the Twitter hashtag #deadbeat, Republican Governor Doug
Ducey has rolled out the controversial initiative targeting
individuals owing a combined $20 million in child support since
2011.
The state has identified 421 parents – 387 dads and 34 moms – for
public scrutiny via Twitter and a new page on the governor's website
for the first time on Thursday.
"If you don't want your embarrassing, unlawful, and irresponsible
behavior going viral: Man up and pay up," Ducey said in his State of
the State address on Monday.
The state followed up by posting the names, photographs and amounts
owed by so-called child support evaders on a state agency Twitter
account. The webpage asks the public for tips.
 Critics question whether the effort to crack down on non-payers will
actually translate into additional dollars for their children. Some
cautioned that the campaign could leave a long-lasting digital
footprint for offenders, who may not have jobs or money to pay.
"The one thing we know is that shaming doesn't work," said Kathryn
Edin, a sociology and public health professor at Johns Hopkins
University. "There's no evidence that any public finger wagging does
any good at all."
Arizona has required the names and photos of those wanted for child
support payments to be posted on Department of Economic Security
(DES) website since 1999.
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A governor's spokesman said the state is going after less than one
percent of the $1.7 billion owed for child support in Arizona.
Only those who owe more than $5,000 and have not made a payment in
six months will be targeted by the initiative. They also must have
an outstanding arrest warrant and have no known location.
"The issue is about awareness and accountability," said DES
spokeswoman Tasya Peterson, in an emailed statement.
(Reporting by David Schwartz in Phoenix; Editing by Curtis Skinner
and Cynthia Osterman)
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