Hey… if you’re here, I already know a little piece of your story.
You’re staring down child support arrears that feel impossible. Maybe the sheriff has knocked on your door at 6 a.m. Maybe you’ve spent nights in a bullpen wondering how the hell you’re supposed to pay $800 a week when you’re locked up and can’t work. Maybe you’ve been arrested—once, twice… or, like me, thirteen times.
My name is Robert S. Bulka, and I lived every single page of 13 Chains: Modern Debtors’ Prison – Child Support Trap. This isn’t some theory or legal lecture. It’s my raw, unfiltered memoir from Hudson County Correctional Center in Kearny, New Jersey. From the moment the sheriff’s officers cuffed me in my own apartment, through the cereal riots in the bullpen, the snoring cellmates, the wheelchair wars, the dry snitching, and the soul-crushing realization that the system doesn’t care if you can’t pay—it just keeps the chains locked tight.
I wrote this book because I was tired of pretending the modern debtors’ prison doesn’t exist. Tired of watching good men (and women) lose jobs, homes, dignity, and hope while the arrears just keep growing. Tired of the “what if” questions that keep you up at night: What if I lose my job? What if they throw me back in? What if I never get out of this trap?
13 Chains is more than a story—it’s a mirror. It’s the breakfast behind bars, the nurse who almost gave me another charge for asking where she lived, the taxi-driver tales that kept five strangers laughing in a holding pen while we waited for Monday morning court. It’s the thirteenth arrest that finally broke something open inside me and made me decide: someone has to tell the truth.
And now I’m telling it to you.
Why I Built 13chains.com
This website isn’t just a book promo page. It’s a safe place for anyone caught in the child support system—the fathers, mothers, families, and friends who feel invisible, trapped, and ashamed. I built it so you don’t have to feel alone the way I did.
Here’s everything waiting for you:
Read Chapter 1 – Free
Jump right into the bullpen with me. No commitment, no sales pitch—just the opening pages that have already hooked thousands. If it hits you in the chest the way it hit me writing it, the full Kindle edition is one click away (paperback coming soon in the new 6” x 9” format).
Child Support Help Blog
Real talk. Fresh articles. Honest advice. We’re growing this section fast with posts on everything from “What is the new tax law for child support in 2026?” to “How long can you actually go to jail for not paying?” and “What state is best for fathers’ rights?” Every post is laced with practical “what if” answers, excerpts from my book, and stories from the front lines. New posts drop regularly—check back often.
National Child Support Directory
Type in your state and get instant contact info for agencies, legal aid, help groups, and family law attorneys who actually understand what you’re going through. Updated monthly. No fluff, just tools you can use today.
Stories & Songs
This is where my heart lives outside the book. Come listen to the spoken-word lyrics, raw MP4 videos, and vlogs I created while the pain was still fresh. Tracks like Bankrobber, Co-came-upon-my-door, and Laurel-thirst were born in the same darkness you might be feeling right now. They’re unpolished, emotional, and 100% real. Play them loud when you need to feel seen. New pieces will be added as I finish them—some with music, some just my voice telling the truth no one else will say out loud.
Community & Connection
Through the Contact page you can reach out (we’re setting up proper email management soon). Share your story if you want. Leave comments on blog posts. Know that every visitor here is part of a growing circle of people who refuse to stay silent about the child support trap.
I’m not a lawyer. I’m not a counselor. I’m just a guy who survived thirteen trips through the system and lived to write about it. If my words give you even one night of hope, one idea for fighting back, or one moment where you laugh through the tears (because trust me, there is dark humor in the bullpen), then every ache I still feel from those concrete floors was worth it.
The mission is simple:
Help you break free from the chains. Sell a few books so I can keep this site growing. Turn AdSense clicks and Amazon affiliate links into real support while we spread the truth about modern debtors’ prisons.
You’re not alone anymore.
Whether you’re here for the book, the blog, the directory, or just to hear a man who’s been exactly where you are speak straight to your soul through music and stories… welcome home.
Grab 13 Chains on Kindle today. Read Chapter 1 right now. Come back tomorrow for new posts and fresh songs.
We’re in this together.
— Robert S. Bulka
Author of 13 Chains: Modern Debtors’ Prison – Child Support Trap