# Justice Manual § 9-74.105: Child Support—Notice to Target and Charging Considerations

> Federal · Agency guidance · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-74.105

## Section

- **Citation:** Justice Manual § 9-74.105
- **Heading:** Child Support—Notice to Target and Charging Considerations
- **Jurisdiction:** Federal
- **Kind:** Agency guidance
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** August 14, 2026
- **Source:** Compiled text
- **Location:** DOJ Justice Manual / Title 9: Criminal / 9-74.000 - Child Support And International Parental Kidnapping / Justice Manual § 9-74.105

## Text

Care must be taken to ensure that the criminal process is not used to enforce a civil debt. As such, once a case has been filed it should not be dismissed. Nor should pre-trial diversion be considered, except in extraordinary circumstances, merely because an offender makes payment. An additional consideration militating against dismissal or pre-trial diversion once charges have been filed is that the deterrent impact of the potential felonious second offense would be avoided by dismissal or pre-trial diversion of the first offense. Additionally, no notice to the target is required prior to the filing of charges in these cases. Such a practice must be weighed carefully in light of the considerations discussed above.

The determination as to whether to issue a summons or a warrant in CSRA cases should be made on a case-by-case basis by the United States Attorney's Office prosecuting the case. Since these charges will generally involve individuals who have a history of evasion of court processes and flight, a warrant may be appropriate. However, other cases involving obligers who, for instance, have become established members of another community, may only require a summons to appear.

## Nearby sections

- [Justice Manual § 9-74.010 Supervisory Authority](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-74.010.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-74.100 Federal Enforcement of Child Support](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-74.100.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-74.105 Child Support—Notice to Target and Charging Considerations](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-74.105.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-74.200 International Parental Kidnapping](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-74.200.md)

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-74.105. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.