Inside the Shocking 'Kids For Cash' Juvenile Justice Scandal

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/no-one-listened-because-we-were-kids-inside-nations-shocking-kids-cash-juvenile



Today a special on "kids for cash," the shocking story of how thousands of children in Pennsylvania were jailed by two corrupt judges who received $2.6 million in kickbacks from the builders and owners of private prison facilities. We hear from two of the youth: Charlie Balasavage was sent to juvenile detention after his parents unknowingly bought him a stolen scooter; Hillary Transue was detained for creating a MySpace page mocking her assistant high school principal. They were both 14 years old and were sentenced by the same judge, Judge Mark Ciavarella, who is now in jail himself — serving a 28-year sentence. Balasavage and Transue are featured in the new documentary, "Kids for Cash," by filmmaker Robert May, who also joins us. In addition, we speak to two mothers: Sandy Fonzo, whose son Ed Kenzakoski committed suicide after being imprisoned for years by Judge Ciavarella, and Hillary’s mother, Laurene Transue. Putting their stories into context of the larger scandal is attorney Robert Schwartz, executive director of the Juvenile Law Center. The story is still developing: In October, the private juvenile-detention companies in the scandal settled a civil lawsuit for $2.5 million.

[malaise]

1. There should be a national investigation

Anything for profit.

[Octafish]

7. Just realized...BLACKMAIL.

NSA intercepts would make for easy work.

[malaise]

8. Isn't that the truth

[Octafish]

10. Could be foreign or domestic...

...seeing how other nations and international corporations have better access to the take than the American people.

[Douglas Carpenter]

2. wow!! now that is really disturbing stuff

[AzDar]

3. 28 years for ruining countless lives?

There should be a fucking zero on the end of that number.

[Romulox]

4. We have more people imprisoned than any other nation in the history of humanity. nt

[uponit7771]

5. This is so horrible, I'd tie this around every pol that supported this crap dem and rep

[Octafish]

6. There needs to be a top-to-bottom investigation.

The two judges and their scheme are but parts of a larger criminal conspiracy. On occassion, parts of it are revealed:

Jerry Sandusky, as Legal Schnauzer details, was operating in the same state.

A US Attorney from Florida, Roy Atchison, connected to the Alabama GOP, committed suicide rather than explain why he was in Detroit to molest what he thought was a 5-year-old.

US Senator Lamar Alexander's chief of staff, Ryan Loskarn, commits suicide rather than explain why he had all the child porn.

US Representative Mark Foley quits Congress rather than explain why he was dreaming romantically of teen-age pages while leading the Congressional subcommittee on Missing and Exploited Children.

Anyone see a pattern of some seriously messed up dots here?

[malaise]

9. But Rand Paul is worried that Clinton got off to easy

even after being impeached over a 20 year old female who was part of a set up.

[Octafish]

11. Is Rand the guy who kidnapped the co-ed?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/09/rand-paul-abducted-female_n_675766.html

The not-yet-doctor wanted her to discover the bong, so she must've been of age.

[malaise]

15. Remember

It's OK if you're a ReTHUG.

[jsr]

12. Tip of the iceberg of our corrupt system.

[DirkGently]

13. This case indicts both private prisons & "boot-camp" juvenile facilities.

We have the problem of the profit motive where money is to be made incarcerating as many people as possible. What happens when we do that is that people who shouldn't be incarcerated ... are.

Shouldn't be a surprise, but prison privatization continues unabated.

Then we have the problem of sending kids to these brutal "boot camps" run by untrained personnel on the theory that harsh treatment -- often sold as "Christian" -- is the kind help a troubled kid needs.

Idiocy and greed.

[marmar]

14. k/r

[Cotopaxi]

16. New Mexico youth ranch also needs to be investigated

"During his stay at the ranch for troubled youth, which is located south of Hillsboro in Sierra County, the teen was “handcuffed and shackled and carried from a pole by his bound hands and feet as one would carry a large dead animal,” the suit alleges.

Chandler, the suit says, poured jalapeño pepper juice into the boy’s eyes and kicked dirt on him. Another time, Staeger was forced to eat horse dung, the lawsuit alleges."

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/troubled-youth-ranch-controversy-calls-into-question-cyfd-s-authority/article_b238c4c9-640d-53b1-abce-2d5489b8af9a.html?mode=jqm