The Blueprint for a better tomorrow

The United States is facing a national crisis. It exists in our courtrooms, where a system designed to protect children has become a state-sanctioned engine of conflict, trauma, and devastating financial waste.

The evidence is undeniable: our current family court system is not just flawed; it is failing. It incentivizes a "winner-take-all" war between parents, where justice often goes to the party with the most money and influence, not the well-being of the children, focusing on both parents being in their lives as equal participants. This adversarial process enables parental alienation, weaponizes false allegations, and destroys families, leaving a trail of broken bonds and traumatized children in its wake.

The following is not just a personal story; it is a data-driven indictment of this systemic failure. It exposes the true human and taxpayer cost of a system that has lost its way and makes the undeniable case for a new, child-focused framework.

This is the ultimate reality. A family bond, pure and real, can be systematically broken by money, manipulation, and false claims. This is done to win the child as a prize, and to some, a check.  Unfortunately, the court system encourages and enables this. The result is a confused, traumatized child with one loving parent who is then erased, deleted or deemed unfit and a danger. This is done by individuals who have no clarity on the actuality of the family dynamic. Resulting in left wounds that may never heal. This isn't just a family dispute; it's a traumatic and abusive tragedy sanctioned by the state. 

After exposing a system designed for conflict, we must present a new vision—one designed for healing. The goal of the Parental Justice Project is not simply to reform the family court; it is to completely reimagine its purpose. We envision a system that is not a battleground for parents, but a sanctuary for children.

Our goal is to build a new framework guided by three simple, powerful principles: Teach, Heal, and Build.

"Teach more love less hate, a better future this will create."

The system should not be a place of judgment, but a place of learning. In our vision, every separating parent is given the tools and education they need to succeed. The court's first action should be to enroll parents in a program that teaches compassionate co-parenting, effective conflict resolution, and the fundamentals of child development. Instead of being armed with lawyers, parents will be armed with knowledge, creating a foundation of mutual understanding and respect from day one.

The current system inflicts trauma; the new system must facilitate healing. Our goal is to remove the adversarial process from custody entirely. The focus will shift from proving one parent "unfit" to helping both parents become the best they can be. By replacing litigation with mediation and therapy, we create a process where the family's emotional well-being is the primary concern. It becomes a space to heal the wounds of a changing family, not to create new ones.

The ultimate goal is to build a better, more stable future for our children. A family changing its structure should not mean the family is destroyed. The system we envision will help parents construct a "Two Homes, One Family" plan where the child is always at the center. It will build a future where children feel secure, wanted, and loved by all members of their family, free from the loyalty conflicts and emotional turmoil that the current system

This is the heart of the Parental Justice Project's solution. It is a mandatory, 5-week program designed to replace the adversarial court process with a structured, therapeutic, and educational pathway for the entire family. Its goal is to build skills, ensure accountability, and keep the child as the central focus.

This course provides parents with the essential tools to dismantle conflict and build a successful "Two Homes, One Family" structure.

• Week 1: Understanding the Impact on a Child
  • What It Is: This is an immersive educational session focused on the proven, scientific effects of separation and parental conflict on a child's brain development, emotional health, and long-term well-being. Parents review studies and real-world examples of how bad-mouthing, blame, and instability cause lasting harm.
  • How It Helps: It removes personal blame from the equation and replaces it with objective facts. By understanding the profound, tangible damage conflict causes, parents are motivated to shift their perspective from "winning" against each other to collaborating to protect their child.
• Week 2: From Conflict to Communication
  • What It Is: A hands-on workshop dedicated to building a new kind of partnership. Parents learn and practice specific, respectful communication strategies and proven conflict resolution techniques, guided by a neutral facilitator. The focus is on active listening, de-escalation, and maintaining a unified front on important issues.
  • How It Helps: It provides a new rulebook for communication. This week instills the benefits of remaining a united parenting team, even from afar, and emphasizes that equal, respectful involvement is critical for the child's stability and sense of security.
• Week 3: Designing Your Family's Blueprint
  • What It Is: A collaborative and practical session where parents, build their unique 50/50 custody plan. They address schedules, holidays, decision-making on health and education, and rules for consistency between homes.
  • How It Helps: It ensures the final plan is created by the parents, not for them. The principle is not about one parent dictating terms and the other agreeing; it is a collaborative process to determine what is truly best for their children's daily lives, routines, and unique needs.
• Week 4: The Family Summit
  • What It Is: The children join the parents in a final, facilitated session. The purpose is to present the co-parenting plan to the children in a unified way, to listen to their feelings, and to collaboratively resolve any remaining conflicts as a family.
  • How It Helps: This is not a session where a child chooses one parent over the other. No child is equipped for or should ever be forced to make such a life-altering decision. Instead, this week is designed to give the child a respectful voice in their own life, to help them understand the new structure, and to see their parents working together as a team. It solidifies the "Two Homes, One Family" dynamic.
• Week 5: Mediation & Finalization
  • What It Is: With their completed family plan in hand, the parents meet with a neutral mediator. The mediator’s role is to review the plan, ensure it is clear and comprehensive, and finalize it into a formal document ready for the court.
  • How It Helps: This final step ensures the family's collaboratively-built plan is legally sound and ready to be signed by a judge, completing the pre-court process and preventing future ambiguity.

This parallel program gives children the language and skills to navigate their family’s changes with confidence and support.

• Week 1: Understanding Change
  • What It Is: An age-appropriate session that explains the logistics of a separating family. Through stories and guided conversation, children learn that the change is not their fault and that it's okay to feel sad, angry, or confused.
  • How It Helps: It gives children a vocabulary for what they are experiencing and removes the burden of self-blame, teaching them how to adapt in a healthy way.
• Week 2: Building Skills
  • What It Is: Children learn essential, age-appropriate coping mechanisms for stress and skills for resolving conflicts. They are taught how to communicate their needs clearly and respectfully to both parents, and what they can expect in terms of love and consistency.
  • How It Helps: It empowers children with a sense of agency and control over their own feelings, making them active participants in their well-being rather than passive victims of circumstance.
• Week 3: Finding Community
  • What It Is: Through a mix of one-on-one and professionally guided group sessions, children connect with others who are going through the same experience. They can share their fears, hopes, and expectations in a safe, understanding environment.
  • How It Helps: This week is crucial for breaking the sense of isolation. By building bonds with peers in similar situations, children understand that their experience is shared, which normalizes their feelings and builds resilience.
• Week 4: The Family Summit
  • What It Is: The children bring the skills and confidence they've developed to the joint session with their parents. They are prepared to listen, to express their feelings about the proposed plan, and to be a part of the solution.
  • How It Helps: It ensures the child is a respected member of the family planning process. By having their input considered, the final "Two Homes, One Family" structure is built to work for them, too, fostering a sense of security and respect.

The foundational courses are designed to give families the tools to succeed. The next phases are designed to provide the accountability and support to make that success last a lifetime. This is how we ensure families heal, grow, and stay out of the courtroom.

After the 5-week pathway is complete, the family has their day in court. This is no longer an adversarial battle. Instead, it is a final, collaborative review where the judge's role is transformed.

• The Review Process: The judge receives two key items:
  1. The Family's Blueprint: The comprehensive "Two Homes, One Family" plan that was collaboratively built by the parents and child, and finalized by the mediator.
  2. The Confidential Progress Notes: Throughout the 5-week course, each instructor, coulser, and mediator writes confidential notes on the family's progress, their interactions, and their readiness to co-parent effectively. These notes are for the judge's eyes only—they are not shared with the other professionals to ensure each opinion is unbiased.

• The Decision: The judge reviews these documents to assess one thing: is this family equipped with the skills needed to ensure the long-term well-being of their child? Based on this, there are two possible outcomes:
  1. The Plan is Finalized: If the family's blueprint is sound and the confidential notes show a genuine effort and understanding, the judge signs the agreement into a formal, legal order.
  2. Additional Support is Ordered: If the notes reveal specific areas where the family is still struggling, the judge will order additional, targeted support. This is not a punishment and is not about removing a parent. It is a prescription for success, designed to strengthen the family. This could include more co-parenting classes, specialized family therapy, or parent-child bonding classes.

• Attendance: To foster connection and accountability, these courses are designed to be completed in-person. However, in situations where this is not possible due to distance or other extenuating circumstances, participation via telephone and video can be arranged with prior approval.
• Scope of this Protocol: It is critical to note that this new structure is designed only for child custody and the agreed-upon "Children's Fund" account. This is not a process for divorce proceedings, the division of assets, or any other matter outside the child-focused goal of ensuring their long-term well-being.

A system that creates conflict is not just emotionally destructive; it is a massive financial drain on the very taxpayers it is meant to serve. While the full, devastating cost is impossible to calculate due to poor data tracking, the known and hidden expenses paint a clear picture of a fiscally irresponsible and broken model.

The Financial Case for Reform: A Multi-Billion Dollar Crisis

The Parental Justice Project is not just a moral crusade; it is a call for fiscal responsibility. The current family court system is a financially irresponsible drain on taxpayers at every level of government. The evidence shows a multi-billion-dollar bureaucracy that incentivizes conflict, leading to staggering and often hidden costs that can be clearly seen when examining a single case.

Part I: The National Financial Burden (The Big Picture)

A. The $5.7 Billion Bureaucracy

The most visible cost is the price of the bureaucracy itself. According to the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement, the total nationwide expenditure for running the child support program in Fiscal Year 2022 was $5.7 billion. This cost is shared by all taxpayers, with the federal government funding approximately two-thirds and state and local governments funding the rest.

B. The Hidden Cost of Incarceration**

A significant and untracked cost is the practice of jailing parents for non-payment of child support.

The Daily Cost: Based on data from the Vera Institute of Justice, the average cost to house one person in jail is $151 per day, or over $55,000 per year.

The Data Black Hole: Reliable national data for the number of parents incarcerated for this specific civil offense does not exist, as local jails are not required to track and report this information. This makes a full national cost calculation impossible.

The Economic Paradox: This practice is a financial drain. Taxpayers pay over $55,000 to punish a parent for being unable to pay a few thousand, all while removing that parent's ability to work and contribute.

Part II: A Detailed Case Study in Wasted Resources (The Ground-Level Cost)

To understand how these billions are wasted, we can analyze the documented, taxpayer-funded costs of my single, high-conflict custody case. The following is a conservative estimate showing how a case built on false claims cost taxpayers over $20,000.

Component 1: The Police Investigation (Glendale, AZ)

The allegations against me triggered a 10-month investigation involving two separate forensic investigations, which law enforcement ultimately closed due to insufficient evidence.

Professional: Detective (Phoenix, AZ)

   Average Annual Income: $86,870

   Hourly Rate Calculation: ($86,870 ÷ 52 weeks ÷ 40 hours/week) = $41.76 per hour

   Estimated Hours:200 hours

       Rationale: This conservative estimate reflects a sustained, part-time effort over a 10-month period (averaging 5 hours per week) to account for reviewing reports, conducting multiple recorded interviews, coordinating with Alaska law enforcement, arranging forensic interviews, and writing the final report.

   Total Estimated Cost for Investigation: (200 hours x $41.76/hour) = $8,352.00

Component 2: The Court Proceedings (Kenai, AK)

This case involved 10 separate court dates, each lasting approximately two hours, for a total of 20 hours of direct in-person hearing time. For the judge and staff involved in preparation and follow-up, a conservative 1.5 hours of out-of-court work is added for every 1 hour in court.

Professional: Superior Court Judge

   Average Annual Income (U.S. Judge): $305,144

   Hourly Rate Calculation: ($305,144 ÷ 52 weeks ÷ 40 hours/week) = $146.70 per hour

   Estimated Hours: 50 hours (20 in-court hours + 30 prep/follow-up hours)

   Total Estimated Cost for Judge: (50 hours x $146.70/hour) = $7,335.00

Professional: Clerk of Court

   Average Annual Income: $90,490

   Hourly Rate Calculation: ($90,490 ÷ 52 weeks ÷ 40 hours/week) = $43.50 per hour

   Estimated Hours: 50 hours (20 in-court hours + 30 prep/follow-up hours)

   Total Estimated Cost for Clerk: (50 hours x $43.50/hour) = $2,175.00

Professional: Judicial Assistant

   Average Annual Income: $62,525

   Hourly Rate Calculation: ($62,525 ÷ 52 weeks ÷ 40 hours/week) = $30.06 per hour

   Estimated Hours: 50 hours (20 in-court hours + 30 prep/follow-up hours)

   Total Estimated Cost for Assistant: (50 hours x $30.06/hour) = $1,503.00

Professional: Court Reporter

   Average Annual Income: $71,546

   Hourly Rate Calculation: ($71,546 ÷ 52 weeks ÷ 40 hours/week) = $34.40 per hour

   Estimated Hours:20 hours (Based on the direct in-court hearing time)

   Total Estimated Cost for Reporter: (20 hours x $34.40/hour) = $688.00

Component 3: The Grand Total for a Single Case

Police Investigation Cost:$8,352.00

Total Court Proceedings Cost: $11,701.00

Total Estimated Taxpayer Cost: $20,053.00

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Conclusion: The Fiscal Imperative for Reform

The financial truth is undeniable. We have a $5.7 billion system that fuels conflict. That conflict leads to untracked but massive incarceration costs. And as my single case shows, it can waste over $20,000 of taxpayer money on a fight that a neutral investigation already proved was baseless. The Parental Justice Project's "Blueprint" is the fiscally responsible solution that will save taxpayers billions by investing in solutions that prevent these costly battles before they begin.

The first and most critical phase of the Parental Justice Project is designed to be fiscally neutral to taxpayers. This is not a plan that calls for new government spending or additional taxes. It is a plan to intelligently repurpose the billions of dollars already being spent on a failed system and reallocate those resources from punishment to empowerment.

This plan does not create new government jobs or displace existing ones. It transforms them. The salaries for the thousands of employees currently working in child support enforcement agencies are already part of our state and federal budgets. Our plan reallocates these existing funds and human resources.

Instead of paying employees to be enforcers—a role that leads to costly incarceration and litigation—we will pay them for the same hours to be retrained as co-parenting teachers, children's coping coaches, and mediators. The 2-to-3-week training period is not an extra cost; it is a temporary and essential redirection of their paid employment, turning a punitive position into a supportive and far more cost-effective one. We are reutilizing and retraining for a better system.

By making this fiscally neutral shift, we unlock a cascade of massive, long-term savings for taxpayers:

• Elimination of Incarceration Costs: By ending the cycle of debt, this plan will drastically reduce the number of parents jailed for non-payment, saving taxpayers over $55,000 annually for every single parent kept out of jail.
• Drastic Reduction in Court Costs: The new supportive model prevents endless litigation. This will save millions in court resources, avoiding the $20,000+ in taxpayer money that a single high-conflict case can consume.
• Ending the Financial Incentive for Conflict: The "Children's Fund"—a joint account both parents contribute to for their child's needs—replaces the traditional child support payment. This eliminates the battle for full custody, as financial compensation will no longer be an incentive. Parenting will be focused on the children and their needs, not the check.
• Increased Economic Stability for Families: With a stable 50/50 custody goal and access to employment resources from their caseworker, both parents are better able to achieve financial independence. The 5-week course empowers them to create a financial plan they can both afford, reducing their reliance on public welfare and increasing their contributions as taxpayers.

This initial phase focuses on the seamless transition of all existing child support cases into the new, supportive framework. This process will be managed by the current Child Support Division employees, marking the beginning of their shift from enforcers to supporters.

The first action is to triage the existing caseload. Caseworkers will identify and prioritize parents who are currently struggling the most under the punitive system, specifically those who:

• Are in arrears and owe back child support.
• Have had their driver's licenses suspended due to non-payment.
• Are currently having their wages garnished.
• Are facing or are currently incarcerated for civil contempt for non-payment.

These families represent the most urgent and costly failures of the current system and are the first to be offered a path to compliance and stability.

Each caseworker will personally reach out to their assigned families to deliver a "Notice of Change." This is not a legal threat, but a supportive invitation. During this outreach, the caseworker will:

• Explain that a new family court framework is being implemented.
• Inform the parent that they have an opportunity to transition into a new, non-punitive system.
• Go over the new goals: achieving a stable "Two Homes, One Family" structure, adjusting custody toward a 50/50 shared parenting plan, and focusing on the child's well-being above all else.
• Assure them that the goal is to help them succeed, not to punish them for past struggles.

This is the key administrative task for the caseworker before retraining. They will oversee the conversion of the old financial structure to the new one.

• The caseworker will work to have court-appointed garnishments, fees, and unpayable back-support debt suspended and reviewed for forgiveness upon completion of the foundational program.
• The existing state-held child support account will be seamlessly transitioned into a new, jointly controlled "Children's Fund" in the family's name.
• The caseworker will explain that this new fund is for the child's needs, that both parents will be responsible for contributing to it based on a plan they create together, and that it eliminates the direct parent-to-parent payment that causes so much conflict.

The final step in the transition is to register both parents for the mandatory 5-week co-parenting program. The caseworker will:

• Provide the parents with the schedule and location for the classes.
• Explain that successful completion of this program is the required step to finalize their new custody plan and transition fully into the supportive framework.
• Provide them with a list of local resources, such as job centers and employment opportunities, to help them meet their financial responsibilities under the new "Children's Fund" model.

Once the existing caseload has been successfully transitioned onto this new path, the caseworkers themselves will be ready to begin their own training, completing their journey from enforcers to the supportive teachers, mediators, and family advocates of the new system.

The primary and most important outcome is a drastic reduction in the trauma children suffer during a family separation.

• Better Mental Health: It shields children from the toxic stress of parental conflict, which is the number one predictor of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem in children of divorce.
• Greater Security: It reinforces the child's fundamental right to a meaningful relationship with both parents, eliminating the devastating feeling of abandonment that often leads to long-term emotional issues.
• Increased Resilience: It empowers children with coping skills and a respected voice in the process, turning them from passive victims into resilient participants in their family's future.
• A Healthier Future: By preventing the trauma of a high-conflict separation—a key Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE)—this system drastically reduces a child's long-term risk for academic struggles, substance abuse, and physical health problems.

Parents are no longer treated as adversaries in a zero-sum game, but as partners in the crucial job of raising their child.

• Empowerment Through Skills: Instead of being armed with lawyers, parents are armed with knowledge. They learn effective communication and conflict resolution skills, empowering them to manage their co-parenting relationship successfully for years to come.
• An End to the Financial War: By removing lawyers from the custody process and replacing traditional child support with a jointly managed "Children's Fund," the financial incentive to fight for more custody time is eliminated. This ends the cycle of litigation abuse and prevents the financial ruin of families.
• Justice and Truth: The Neutral Evaluation Process for abuse claims creates a fair and unbiased system for finding the truth, protecting children from actual harm and innocent parents from the devastating weaponization of false allegations.

The system is transformed from a costly, inefficient bureaucracy into a streamlined and supportive service.

• Drastically Reduced Litigation: By resolving conflict through mandatory education and mediation at the beginning of the process, the endless cycle of costly motions and hearings is prevented. This frees up the court system to focus on cases that truly require judicial intervention.
• Massive Cost Savings: The fiscally neutral transition of child support agencies into supportive services, combined with the huge reduction in court and incarceration costs, saves taxpayers billions of dollars.
• A Shift in Purpose: The ultimate outcome is a fundamental change in the purpose of family justice—from adjudicating a fight to healing a family. It becomes a system that builds a better future instead of just litigating a broken past.

The goal of the Parental Justice Project is to provide a permanent solution, not a temporary fix. This requires a long-term framework for accountability and continued growth.

• The First Year: Weekly Family Counseling
  • What It Is: For the first year after the court order is finalized, the family is required to attend a one-hour, weekly counseling session with a therapist. To accommodate modern schedules, this must be done as a group, but can be attended over the phone or via video conference.
  • How It Helps: This regular check-in provides a consistent, professionally guided space to navigate the challenges of the first year. It keeps both parents accountable to the plan they created, helps them resolve minor conflicts before they escalate, and ensures the child remains the family's central focus.
• The Following Years: The Annual Family Refresher
  • What It Is: Every year after the first, until the youngest child turns 18, the family is required to attend a 3-day family refresher class. This course is a tune-up, focused on reinforcing the "Two Homes, One Family" dynamic and addressing new challenges that arise as children grow. Completion is signed off on and sent to the family's caseworker.
  • The Exemption: If a family recognizes the value of continued support and voluntarily chooses to continue their weekly therapy sessions beyond the first year, the mandatory 3-day annual class is not required.
  • How It Helps: This provides a simple, low-impact system of accountability. It ensures that the family's co-parenting skills remain sharp and that the child's well-being remains the top priority year after year, preventing the backslide into conflict that sends so many families back to court.

The Parental Justice Project is not a theoretical dream; it is a strategic plan built on proven principles that are already working in various states and countries. Our Blueprint combines the most effective, evidence-based reforms into one comprehensive solution.

• The Concept: A core part of our plan is the mandatory 5-week foundational pathway that teaches skills and requires mediation.
• Where It's Working: States like Texas and Florida have long required mandatory parenting classes for divorcing parents. States like California require mandatory mediation for all custody disputes.
• The Proven Success: These programs are consistently shown to reduce the need for costly litigation, improve long-term co-parenting communication, and lower the emotional stress on children.

• The Concept: Our plan is built on a 50/50 shared parenting goal to eliminate the "winner-take-all" fight.
• Where It's Working: States like Kentucky and Arkansas have passed "rebuttable presumption of equal shared parenting" laws.
• The Proven Success: These laws have been shown to drastically reduce custody battles by setting a clear, non-adversarial starting point. This forces the focus away from a parental fight and onto the child's right to both parents.

• The Concept: Our plan's Family Caseworker and ongoing therapy provide a long-term support system.
• Where It's Working: In high-conflict cases across the U.S., courts appoint Parenting Coordinators (PCs).
• The Proven Success: A PC is a neutral third party who helps parents implement their parenting plan, mediate minor disputes, and learn better communication skills. The use of PCs is proven to significantly decrease the number of times a family has to return to court, saving taxpayer money and reducing stress on the child.

Every year, American taxpayers fund a $5.7 billion child support system that often creates more problems than it solves.

You pay for the court hearings that go nowhere. You pay the $55,000 annual bill to incarcerate a parent who can't afford their payments. As my own case demonstrates, your money—over $20,000 for a single family—can be spent on a decade of police investigations and court proceedings, only for the claims to be proven baseless.

The Parental Justice Project offers a better way. We propose a fiscally neutral revolution that stops this catastrophic waste. It's not about spending more; it's about taking the billions we already spend on punishment and reinvesting it in a solution: a supportive, educational framework that prevents these conflicts before they begin and builds stronger families.

The choice is clear. We can continue to fund a cycle of debt, trauma, and litigation, or we can invest in a future of stable families, resilient children, and a justice system that actually serves the people. This isn't just a moral imperative; it's a matter of fiscal sanity. It's time to demand a better return on our investment, and more importantly our children.