Right to a lawyer before jail

New Jersey news:

The federal and state constitutions guarantee that indigent "deadbeat" parents have the right to a lawyer when facing jail time at child support hearings, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

One time I was in family court, and a poor Mexican-American man said in broken english that he had no money to pay. The judge warned him that he might want a lawyer, because he might end up in jail if he is not believed. I don't know whether he understood or not.