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If you have the ability to pay it back, they can legally seize that. So if you can legally seize assets for a civil judgement, then what need is there to arrest someone?
For deterrence and to prevent immense transactional costs of conducting asset seizure, for which there are rightfully extensive safeguards, of small debts in matters such as child support. Also, lapsed child support, for instance, is an injury inflicted against society as well as against the child.
When it comes to payment of civil debts, deterrence has a place, since it mostly comes down to rational balancing.