The issue of visitation can often become contentious as couples in Clarksville try to work their way through divorce proceedings. Often, the circumstances surrounding the end of a marriage may engender a good amount of distrust between a couple. Some may cite that mistrust (or at least the cause of it) as a reason for restricting their soon-to-be ex-spouses' access to their children. Some may attempt to bar any access to the children whatsoever, while others will ask of any visitation that is granted be restricted.
Information shared by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that of the 6.5 million non-custodial parents paying child support in 2013, only 52.2 percent had visitation privileges. Indeed, Tennessee state law does allow the court to restrict access to one's children if any of the following elements have been demonstrated in his or her individual case:
- Neglect or nonperformance of parental responsibilities
- Impairments that limit one's performance as a parent (both biological and chemically induced)
- A lack of emotional connections between parent and child
- Any criminal convictions that may inhibit one's parenting abilities
- Tendencies for conflict that could hinder a child's psychological development
Additionally, a parent who purposefully restricts another parent's access to his or her children without cause could she his or her visitation revoked.
Section 36-6-301 of the Annotated Code of Tennessee also states that the court may require that visitation be supervised for a parent who has been proven to be physically or emotionally abusive to his or her children either until such abuse has ceased or it is determined to be unlikely to ever happen again.