Lancaster County Domestic Relations Office has declared Thursday and Friday "amnesty days" for parents who owe child support and are wanted on outstanding bench warrants.

People who show up at the office at 40 E. King St. from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to noon Friday and pay some or all of their back child support will not be arrested on the outstanding warrants.

"We don't want to put people in jail," said Diane Fralich, director of the Domestic Relations office. "We want the money that's supposed to be going to the children."

The last time Domestic Relations declared an amnesty day for wanted parents who owed child support, it was followed by a "deadbeat parents" roundup conducted by the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office.

Forty-three deadbeat parents were targeted by the sheriff's office in the early-morning roundup conducted Sept. 8. Eighteen of those parents were arrested at their homes and taken to county prison.

Fralich said others have since turned themselves in, been arrested or cleared their warrants by showing up at Domestic Relations to make payments on the child support they owe.

The sheriff's office has promised to conduct another roundup following this week's amnesty days, but Sheriff Terry Bergman declined comment Tuesday when that roundup might happen.

According to Fralich, notices about the amnesty days recently were sent out to 395 parents who owe child support and are wanted on outstanding domestic relations warrants.

Not all parents who owe child support money are wanted by authorities.

When parents get behind in their payments, the Domestic Relations office eventually will issue a summons for them to appear in court to explain why they haven't paid up.

If parents ignore a summons to appear in court, a bench warrant is issued for their arrest.

Lancaster County has a backlog of about 700 outstanding warrants for parents who have fallen behind in making child-support payments. Those parents owe a total of more than $9 million.

Parents who show up during this week's amnesty days can have their domestic relations warrants dismissed by paying off all or "a substantial amount" of the support payments they owe, Fralich said.

Payment plans will be set up for parents who can't afford to immediately pay off everything they owe.

"We want to work with them to get this money paid on the children's behalf," she said.

Domestic Relations last declared an amnesty day in June. Notices were sent to 478 parents, but only 48 showed up.

Disappointed with that turnout, Fralich and the sheriff's office coordinated the Sept. 8 roundup of deadbeat parents.

"People should know we are serious about collecting this money," Fralich said.

Fralich and Bergman both said they hope publicity about the Sept. 8 roundup will "encourage" more wanted parents to show up Thursday and Friday.

E-mail: preilly@lnpnews.com