Two former state judges who were bribed to send hundreds of children to prison have been ordered to pay more than $200 million over the scheme. In the so-called kids-for-cash scandal, Pennsylvania state judges Mark Ciavarella, 72, and Michael Conahan, 70, shut down a county-run juvenile detention center in exchange for $2.8 million in illegal payments from the co-owner and manufacturer of two for-profit prisons. U.S. District Judge Christopher Conner has awarded nearly 300 plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the judges $106 million in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages. The victims are “the tragic human victims of a scandal of epic proportions,” Conner wrote in explaining the decision Tuesday. While presiding over the juvenile court, Ciaverella maintained a zero-tolerance policy that resulted in many children as young as eight years old going through the for-profit facilities – PA Child Care or Western PA Child Care. Many of the children were sent for minor infractions, such as smoking, truancy, truancy and petty theft, and had no previous infractions. Ciaverella is serving a 28-year sentence in Kentucky and is scheduled to be released in 2035. Conohan, meanwhile, is serving more than 17 years in prison, but has been released on house arrest with six years remaining in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The state Supreme Court threw out about 4,000 juvenile convictions involving more than 2,300 children after the system was dismantled. “Ciavarella and Conahan abandoned their oath of office and violated the public trust,” Conner wrote. “Their cruel and despicable actions victimized a vulnerable population of young people, many of whom suffered from emotional and mental health problems.” The plaintiffs’ attorney, Marsha Levick, who is co-founder and chief counsel of the Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia, called the decision Wednesday “a huge victory.” “To have an order from a federal court that recognizes the gravity of what the judges did to these children in the midst of some of the most critical years of their childhood and development is of tremendous importance,” Levick said, “Whether get the money or not. Paid.’ The scandal was one of the worst ever to be uncovered in the US judicial system. Contact our news team by emailing us at [email protected] For more stories like this, check out our news page.
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title: “Pennsylvania Us Judges Bribed Millions To Send Children To Prison Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-19” author: “Susan Taylor”
Two former state judges who were bribed to send hundreds of children to prison have been ordered to pay more than $200 million over the scheme. In the so-called kids-for-cash scandal, Pennsylvania state judges Mark Ciavarella, 72, and Michael Conahan, 70, shut down a county-run juvenile detention center in exchange for $2.8 million in illegal payments from the co-owner and manufacturer of two for-profit prisons. U.S. District Judge Christopher Conner has awarded nearly 300 plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the judges $106 million in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages. The victims are “the tragic human victims of a scandal of epic proportions,” Conner wrote in explaining the decision Tuesday. While presiding over the juvenile court, Ciaverella maintained a zero-tolerance policy that resulted in many children as young as eight years old going through the for-profit facilities – PA Child Care or Western PA Child Care. Many of the children were sent for minor infractions, such as smoking, truancy, truancy and petty theft, and had no previous infractions. Ciaverella is serving a 28-year sentence in Kentucky and is scheduled to be released in 2035. Conohan, meanwhile, is serving more than 17 years in prison, but has been released on house arrest with six years remaining in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The state Supreme Court threw out about 4,000 juvenile convictions involving more than 2,300 children after the system was dismantled. “Ciavarella and Conahan abandoned their oath of office and violated the public trust,” Conner wrote. “Their cruel and despicable actions victimized a vulnerable population of young people, many of whom suffered from emotional and mental health problems.” The plaintiffs’ attorney, Marsha Levick, who is co-founder and chief counsel of the Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia, called the decision Wednesday “a huge victory.” “To have an order from a federal court that recognizes the gravity of what the judges did to these children in the midst of some of the most critical years of their childhood and development is of tremendous importance,” Levick said, “Whether get the money or not. Paid.’ The scandal was one of the worst ever to be uncovered in the US judicial system. Contact our news team by emailing us at [email protected] For more stories like this, check out our news page.
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title: “Pennsylvania Us Judges Bribed Millions To Send Children To Prison Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-15” author: “Travis Bosarge”
Two former state judges who were bribed to send hundreds of children to prison have been ordered to pay more than $200 million over the scheme. In the so-called kids-for-cash scandal, Pennsylvania state judges Mark Ciavarella, 72, and Michael Conahan, 70, shut down a county-run juvenile detention center in exchange for $2.8 million in illegal payments from the co-owner and manufacturer of two for-profit prisons. U.S. District Judge Christopher Conner has awarded nearly 300 plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the judges $106 million in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages. The victims are “the tragic human victims of a scandal of epic proportions,” Conner wrote in explaining the decision Tuesday. While presiding over the juvenile court, Ciaverella maintained a zero-tolerance policy that resulted in many children as young as eight years old going through the for-profit facilities – PA Child Care or Western PA Child Care. Many of the children were sent for minor infractions, such as smoking, truancy, truancy and petty theft, and had no previous infractions. Ciaverella is serving a 28-year sentence in Kentucky and is scheduled to be released in 2035. Conohan, meanwhile, is serving more than 17 years in prison, but has been released on house arrest with six years remaining in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The state Supreme Court threw out about 4,000 juvenile convictions involving more than 2,300 children after the system was dismantled. “Ciavarella and Conahan abandoned their oath of office and violated the public trust,” Conner wrote. “Their cruel and despicable actions victimized a vulnerable population of young people, many of whom suffered from emotional and mental health problems.” The plaintiffs’ attorney, Marsha Levick, who is co-founder and chief counsel of the Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia, called the decision Wednesday “a huge victory.” “To have an order from a federal court that recognizes the gravity of what the judges did to these children in the midst of some of the most critical years of their childhood and development is of tremendous importance,” Levick said, “Whether get the money or not. Paid.’ The scandal was one of the worst ever to be uncovered in the US judicial system. Contact our news team by emailing us at [email protected] For more stories like this, check out our news page.
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title: “Pennsylvania Us Judges Bribed Millions To Send Children To Prison Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-02” author: “James Torres”
Two former state judges who were bribed to send hundreds of children to prison have been ordered to pay more than $200 million over the scheme. In the so-called kids-for-cash scandal, Pennsylvania state judges Mark Ciavarella, 72, and Michael Conahan, 70, shut down a county-run juvenile detention center in exchange for $2.8 million in illegal payments from the co-owner and manufacturer of two for-profit prisons. U.S. District Judge Christopher Conner has awarded nearly 300 plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the judges $106 million in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages. The victims are “the tragic human victims of a scandal of epic proportions,” Conner wrote in explaining the decision Tuesday. While presiding over the juvenile court, Ciaverella maintained a zero-tolerance policy that resulted in many children as young as eight years old going through the for-profit facilities – PA Child Care or Western PA Child Care. Many of the children were sent for minor infractions, such as smoking, truancy, truancy and petty theft, and had no previous infractions. Ciaverella is serving a 28-year sentence in Kentucky and is scheduled to be released in 2035. Conohan, meanwhile, is serving more than 17 years in prison, but has been released on house arrest with six years remaining in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The state Supreme Court threw out about 4,000 juvenile convictions involving more than 2,300 children after the system was dismantled. “Ciavarella and Conahan abandoned their oath of office and violated the public trust,” Conner wrote. “Their cruel and despicable actions victimized a vulnerable population of young people, many of whom suffered from emotional and mental health problems.” The plaintiffs’ attorney, Marsha Levick, who is co-founder and chief counsel of the Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia, called the decision Wednesday “a huge victory.” “To have an order from a federal court that recognizes the gravity of what the judges did to these children in the midst of some of the most critical years of their childhood and development is of tremendous importance,” Levick said, “Whether get the money or not. Paid.’ The scandal was one of the worst ever to be uncovered in the US judicial system. Contact our news team by emailing us at [email protected] For more stories like this, check out our news page.
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title: “Pennsylvania Us Judges Bribed Millions To Send Children To Prison Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-23” author: “Brandi Yancey”
Two former state judges who were bribed to send hundreds of children to prison have been ordered to pay more than $200 million over the scheme. In the so-called kids-for-cash scandal, Pennsylvania state judges Mark Ciavarella, 72, and Michael Conahan, 70, shut down a county-run juvenile detention center in exchange for $2.8 million in illegal payments from the co-owner and manufacturer of two for-profit prisons. U.S. District Judge Christopher Conner has awarded nearly 300 plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the judges $106 million in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages. The victims are “the tragic human victims of a scandal of epic proportions,” Conner wrote in explaining the decision Tuesday. While presiding over the juvenile court, Ciaverella maintained a zero-tolerance policy that resulted in many children as young as eight years old going through the for-profit facilities – PA Child Care or Western PA Child Care. Many of the children were sent for minor infractions, such as smoking, truancy, truancy and petty theft, and had no previous infractions. Ciaverella is serving a 28-year sentence in Kentucky and is scheduled to be released in 2035. Conohan, meanwhile, is serving more than 17 years in prison, but has been released on house arrest with six years remaining in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The state Supreme Court threw out about 4,000 juvenile convictions involving more than 2,300 children after the system was dismantled. “Ciavarella and Conahan abandoned their oath of office and violated the public trust,” Conner wrote. “Their cruel and despicable actions victimized a vulnerable population of young people, many of whom suffered from emotional and mental health problems.” The plaintiffs’ attorney, Marsha Levick, who is co-founder and chief counsel of the Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia, called the decision Wednesday “a huge victory.” “To have an order from a federal court that recognizes the gravity of what the judges did to these children in the midst of some of the most critical years of their childhood and development is of tremendous importance,” Levick said, “Whether get the money or not. Paid.’ The scandal was one of the worst ever to be uncovered in the US judicial system. Contact our news team by emailing us at [email protected] For more stories like this, check out our news page.
