Rampant Corruption in Juvenile Cases thrown out by PA Supreme Court

[Seanachie]

Hello All,

The following ABC News story was filed on the 29th of October, 2009. This deals with the corruption of one of two Luzerene County, Pa, disgraced Judges now under Federal Indictment.

Somewhere around 6500 to 7000 (adjudicated between 2003 and 2008) cases have been thrown out (with prejudice: meaning that they cannot be refiled) by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

The article is entitled:

Pa. Supreme Court Throws Out Thousands of Juvenile Delinquency Cases

The full article can be found here>>>


http://www.abcnews.go.com/2020/pa-supreme-court-throws-thousands-juvenile-delinquency-cases/story?id=8952028

It is just amazing how the Corruption went on here for so long without being discovered or prosecuted by Local or State Authorities. Thankfully, the Federal Government stepped in and indicted these Judges.

Be well All,

Jim

PS: It will be interesting to see how many other criminal cases will be tossed that didn't deal with juveniles.

[merickson]

Kick backs from privately owned detention centers.

There are some things that shouldn't be privatized. Justice and punishment are some of them.

The parallels between this and mandatory arbitration clauses in credit card agreements are clear (to me), but probably off topic.

I'd love to see the judges serve as many days as they falsely imprisoned those kids (total).

[grumpy38]

local news lastnight had story about how some juveniles burned her barn and other buildings down---but they are now free because of the corruption cases


I have been working in juvenile justice for about 9yrs and the criminals are getting worse every yr

these guys are 16 to 21 yrs old--hard core thugs with bullet wounds--hardened criminals--most are over 6ft tall and over 200lbs---lately we have 6'3 to 6'5 250 to 300lb inmates---

I want to make sure everyone knows they are not just sweet little 10 yr olds who stole a bike--these are criminals that will kill you for your car,bike,sneakers or just because you looked at them wrong


the corruption case is messed up--I can see where some juveniles who might have had a 1st time offense or a minor offense got unfairly locked up instead of probabtion--the judges sentencing was made harsher due to him profitting from the juvenile getting locked up

but remember it isn't like the judges went out on the streets and grabbed kids to lock up, the juveniles that were in court were there for a reason their crimes were not made up --they break laws they hurt people--they did something to get into the court system in the 1st place--they are not little snot nosed angels

I feel sorry for the victems in these cases--the juvenile criminals are getting away with what they have done:wall:

[rhet 2]

local news lastnight had story about how some juveniles burned her barn and other buildings down---but they are now free because of the corruption cases


I have been working in juvenile justice for about 9yrs and the criminals are getting worse every yr

these guys are 16 to 21 yrs old--hard core thugs with bullet wounds--hardened criminals--most are over 6ft tall and over 200lbs---lately we have 6'3 to 6'5 250 to 300lb inmates---

I want to make sure everyone knows they are not just sweet little 10 yr olds who stole a bike--these are criminals that will kill you for your car,bike,sneakers or just because you looked at them wrong


the corruption case is messed up--I can see where some juveniles who might have had a 1st time offense or a minor offense got unfairly locked up instead of probabtion--the judges sentencing was made harsher due to him profitting from the juvenile getting locked up

but remember it isn't like the judges went out on the streets and grabbed kids to lock up, the juveniles that were in court were there for a reason their crimes were not made up --they break laws they hurt people--they did something to get into the court system in the 1st place--they are not little snot nosed angels

I feel sorry for the victems in these cases--the juvenile criminals are getting away with what they have done:wall:

Worse than that: they're running loose to sucker less hardened gullible kids into the exact same vicious criminality -- the "little snot nosed angels" that aren't quite yet so vicious but who WILL be sucked into the exact same gang thug behaviors because the little fools are too gullible to live and parents no longer are able to control them.

I'm tutoring a bunch now: expelled from school, under their first conviction, not in jail -- and NOT in a juvenile facility where they could get the psych help they so desperately need to grow enough maturity to not be suckers for the real bastards they're still "hanging" with. With helpless parents standing there stunned and shocked to wake up and realize they have ZERO control and even less ability to protect their young knuckle-brained kids from the Wasted Dogs of Destruction they're running around with.

Hell, half the time the parents are just as brutal as the kids they're producing.

It has become a very real life-or-death crisis in community after community, big city and small town alike.

And the crisis centers on the exact same factors:

1) Holly-Freaking-Weird "entertainment" -- movies, musak, video games, all centered on psychotic violence and vicious destructionism

2) damned lousy parenting

3) even more lousy public schooling

4) totally corrupt and worthless NOT justice systems

5) peer pressure from what are nothing but gangs -- not friends, just fellow predators

Solutions?

Because seeing the crisis is NOT enough -- we gotta figure out how to fix it, and without armed vigilante hunters taking out the animals out of sheer desperation.

For example, that son of a bitch judge in Newark NJ who got four kids murdered because he refused to enforce immigration laws should be standing trial as an accessory to the murders.

[angelicmadrigal]

1) Holly-Freaking-Weird "entertainment" -- movies, musak, video games, all centered on psychotic violence and vicious destructionism


I'm all about what mainstream culture deems "weird" or "freakish" entertainment. .I also have a preocuppation with death and morbidity, have since I was a kid. I listen to music that contains jokes about necrophilia, violence, prostitituion, etc....Do I engage in any of those activities? Hell no. Have I ever been convicted of a violent crime, grave robbing, desecrating a corpse? Hell no again. Have I been convicted of ANY crime for that matter? Hell no, yet again.

It's less about that then it is about humanity just being plain stupid.

[merickson]

....
but remember it isn't like the judges went out on the streets and grabbed kids to lock up, the juveniles that were in court were there for a reason their crimes were not made up --they break laws they hurt people--they did something to get into the court system in the 1st place--they are not little snot nosed angels
...
The kids were accused of crimes and are not guilty until they have been proven guilty.
The little victims in this case will never have their guilt or innocence determined.

[Seanachie]

Hello All,

The following link is to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's actual decision in this case:

http://jlc.org/files/luzernecounty/81mm2008pco6.pdf

The following link is to the Juvenile Law Center, Philadelphia Pa. regarding these many cases. There are a lot of links here dealing with how and why this case has progressed to this dubious point:

http://jlc.org/luzerne/

Not ALL of the cases have been tossed. The Luzerne County DA will have the opportunity to apply to the Supreme Court if it should plan on seeking further Prosecution(s). The Supreme Court has continued its Jurisdiction acting under their 'King's Bench Powers'.

I simply find it hard to fathom that no Local Official (including the DA) had no clue as to what was going on here. I can only hope that FBI continues on with its investigation and the DOJ seeks to indict all those responsible for this outrageous legal debacle.

I suppose I can, and I do, speculate on whether kids' scalps were used as bounties to line more than the Judge's pockets. I'm sure there are many more people culpable besides this particular one. Every single individual who participated in this travesty should be held accountable and receive the appropriate punishment.

Be well All,

Jim

[gdoane]

As the old saying goes, it takes two to tango and while the Judges are getting rightfully blasted for their malfeasance in a public trust, what about the guys who were giving Kickbacks for Kiddies? This whole Bribes for Babies thing is disgusting on more than one level and I hope these "institutions" engaged in this egregious practice lost their accreditation and licensing.

Getting rid of the kinds of Judges who would accept a bribe is just a start. Getting rid of the kinds of people who would bribe a Judge needs to be part of the job too.

[rhet 2]

Hello All,



I simply find it hard to fathom that no Local Official (including the DA) had no clue as to what was going on here. I can only hope that FBI continues on with its investigation and the DOJ seeks to indict all those responsible for this outrageous legal debacle.



Be well All,

Jim

Oh, on one level, they DID "know" -- they just didn't have hard evidence which would force them to act on what everybody knew was happening -- and didn't care enough to go get that evidence so they could stop it.

Human nature -- at its very worst

It takes Guts to act on what you suspect is happening, to follow up on the rumors and the stories told around the office coffee pot -- and that kind of dedication and honor is very rare, hard to find -- since the Good Old Boys act fast to destroy any youngster just starting his/her career who shows that kind of Guts.

Which is, of course, the essence of Government Corruption: Good Old Boys who know a hell of a lot of disgusting viciousness is going on behind closed doors -- because nobody has the Guts to Stand and Defend the helpless.

So, We the People really need to start smashing that Good Old Boys Club -- by holding the Boys accountable, both in criminal court cases and especially in the Court of Public Opinion.

Ordinary citizens -- people who KNOW their neighbors and give a damn what happens to the kid living three doors down from you -- and across town from you -- we are the Watch Dogs.

Not DAs

Not judges

Not cops

Not newspaper huff and puff word spewers

US -- ordinary citizens who have the Guts to GET INVOLVED -- to "stick your nose in somebody else's business" and scream bloody murder when that business turns out to be destroying other people's lives.

Worst social crime on earth: "mind your own business, and turn a blind eye to whatever the hell the faceless, nameless guy next door is doing"

Lots of people knew -- and none of them had the Guts to Stand and Defend until the mess got so bad that nobody could ignore the stench any longer.

To quote gdoane: "Getting rid of the kinds of Judges who would accept a bribe is just a start. Getting rid of the kinds of people who would bribe a Judge needs to be part of the job too. "

[FidelisAdMortem]

Alot of guilty people being set free b/c of this corruption.

You will see alot of repeat offenders.

[gdoane]

Alot of guilty people being set free b/c of this corruption.

You will see alot of repeat offenders.

Repeat offenders which will be first offenders once again, actually.

I did read in the article that some 90% of the "guilty" (whether they're guilty or not is any man's guess at this point) have already served their sentence. Most of the guilty people set free by this malfeasance are already free anyway, just waiting for their next arrest and incarceration.

The real nightmare is going to be the lawsuit lottery game because this Judge just probably turned a lot of juvenile delinquents into wealthy jerks.

[Seanachie]

As the old saying goes, it takes two to tango and while the Judges are getting rightfully blasted for their malfeasance in a public trust, what about the guys who were giving Kickbacks for Kiddies? This whole Bribes for Babies thing is disgusting on more than one level and I hope these "institutions" engaged in this egregious practice lost their accreditation and licensing.

Getting rid of the kinds of Judges who would accept a bribe is just a start. Getting rid of the kinds of people who would bribe a Judge needs to be part of the job too.

Hello Gdoane,

The fabric of corruption is still unfolding in these parts thread by thread.There are several more folks who have already plead guilty to some Federal charges; some of those unrelated to these twisted Judges. What boggles my mind a bit is that it took FEDERAL INTERVENTION. The corruption here in this neck of Penn's Beautiful Woods is so systemic and endemic that no one would dare, out of pure fear, blow the whistle. It's really a very sad State of affairs when a State and its Citizens abrogate, by default, their rights to Federal Authorities. The Federal Authorities acted out of pure necessity of enforcing Constitutional Law in curbing this corruption when the State could not or would not; IMO.





It takes Guts to act on what you suspect is happening, to follow up on the rumors and the stories told around the office coffee pot -- and that kind of dedication and honor is very rare, hard to find -- since the Good Old Boys act fast to destroy any youngster just starting his/her career who shows that kind of Guts.

Which is, of course, the essence of Government Corruption: Good Old Boys who know a hell of a lot of disgusting viciousness is going on behind closed doors -- because nobody has the Guts to Stand and Defend the helpless.

So, We the People really need to start smashing that Good Old Boys Club -- by holding the Boys accountable, both in criminal court cases and especially in the Court of Public Opinion.

Ordinary citizens -- people who KNOW their neighbors and give a damn what happens to the kid living three doors down from you -- and across town from you -- we are the Watch Dogs.

Not DAs

Not judges

Not cops

Not newspaper huff and puff word spewers

US -- ordinary citizens who have the Guts to GET INVOLVED -- to "stick your nose in somebody else's business" and scream bloody murder when that business turns out to be destroying other people's lives.

Worst social crime on earth: "mind your own business, and turn a blind eye to whatever the hell the faceless, nameless guy next door is doing"

Lots of people knew -- and none of them had the Guts to Stand and Defend until the mess got so bad that nobody could ignore the stench any longer.

"

Hello Rhet,

Perhaps a quote of my own words may be of some use to those who don't frequent the OO Forum and the Overcoming Corruption Thread there:



Hello Anng,

Remaining silent usually gets any individual; absolutely nowhere. In fact, a knowing silence may just land one in hot water for complicity and conspiracy to obstruct justice. If it is indeed correct about the corruption there; then by all means contact the Federal Authorities. The two Judges in Luzerne County Pa. would still be pulling and collecting dirty money from their scams here if it weren't for Federal intervention. Many juveniles were incarcerated for very minor infractions. In some cases; they were not allowed lawyers to represent them. I can only imagine the amounts of money that the lawsuits against the State will cost the taxpayers. The silence in this State and in Luzerne County will cost dearly.

I wish you all the best in this endeavor and will Keep You and your Family in my prayers to the Good Lord that you find some type of satisfactory remedy.

Be well Lady,

Jim

PS: It's not about 'beating' the system in any respect; it's about getting justice for a Family and its Children by making the system work. If, and only IF; that justice is indeed deserved for all concerned. All the 'beating the system' type of commentary will buy anyone is a jaundiced cursory look at ANY charges they may wish to file. This may poison any charges from ever reaching fruition. Having 'clean hands' in these matters definitely helps in determining one's motivation for actions sought. Having 'dirty hands' in the 'offenses' concerned could very well lead to one's own legal demise from that standpoint.



I was certainly disturbed by what this Lady wrote in the Corruption thread she started as far as the allegations of corruption go. Equally disturbing was that part of her post which asked for help in 'beating the system'. I don't go out on a limb for anyone whose motive is to 'beat the system'; unless there is no other reasonable choice. I can only hope that her words were sincere and that phrase she used was simply a euphemism.


So.......I'm about to take a perilous walk out on my own limb. I have two days left to decide to file a legal challenge to a decision made by a Magisterial District Court Judge here where I live. That challenge would be heard by the County Court of Common Pleas. (In many States; this is deemed or named a Superior Court). The Two disgraced Judges I refer to in this thread sat on the same Court of Common Pleas for that County's Seat 20 some miles from where I live. I'm still wrestling with whether it is worth 'fighting the system' over what could, and might very well; land me in the Hoosegow. Is the County of Wayne's Court of Common Pleas here as corrupt as the one in Luzerne County? I guess I'll find out one way or another.

One thing I have no doubt about; this will be a Seppuku Defense any way one looks at it.

Be well All, and enough said I suppose,

Jim


PS: The quotes here are all 'snipped' quotes to a certain extent I believe.

PSS: I don't suffer from the 'being a martyr complex' by any means. What I contemplate doing is well thought out and becoming a legal martyr is NOT part of that equation in any form whatsoever.

PSSS: I've read every post here and please don't feel slighted if I haven't responded to each and every one of them. One of my greatest faults is my wicked long-windedness.

[rhet 2]

Hello Gdoane,

The fabric of corruption is still unfolding in these parts thread by thread.There are several more folks who have already plead guilty to some Federal charges; some of those unrelated to these twisted Judges. What boggles my mind a bit is that it took FEDERAL INTERVENTION. The corruption here in this neck of Penn's Beautiful Woods is so systemic and endemic that no one would dare, out of pure fear, blow the whistle. It's really a very sad State of affairs when a State and its Citizens abrogate, by default, their rights to Federal Authorities. The Federal Authorities acted out of pure necessity of enforcing Constitutional Law in curbing this corruption when the State could not or would not; IMO.






Hello Rhet,

Perhaps a quote of my own words may be of some use to those who don't frequent the OO Forum and the Overcoming Corruption Thread there:



I was certainly disturbed by what this Lady wrote in the Corruption thread she started as far as the allegations of corruption go. Equally disturbing was that part of her post which asked for help in 'beating the system'. I don't go out on a limb for anyone whose motive is to 'beat the system'; unless there is no other reasonable choice. I can only hope that her words were sincere and that phrase she used was simply a euphemism.


So.......I'm about to take a perilous walk out on my own limb. I have two days left to decide to file a legal challenge to a decision made by a Magisterial District Court Judge here where I live. That challenge would be heard by the County Court of Common Pleas. (In many States; this is deemed or named a Superior Court). The Two disgraced Judges I refer to in this thread sat on the same Court of Common Pleas for that County's Seat 20 some miles from where I live. I'm still wrestling with whether it is worth 'fighting the system' over what could, and might very well; land me in the Hoosegow. Is the County of Wayne's Court of Common Pleas here as corrupt as the one in Luzerne County? I guess I'll find out one way or another.

One thing I have no doubt about; this will be a Seppuku Defense any way one looks at it.

Be well All, and enough said I suppose,

Jim


PS: The quotes here are all 'snipped' quotes to a certain extent I believe.

PSS: I don't suffer from the 'being a martyr complex' by any means. What I contemplate doing is well thought out and becoming a legal martyr is NOT part of that equation in any form whatsoever.

PSSS: I've read every post here and please don't feel slighted if I haven't responded to each and every one of them. One of my greatest faults is my wicked long-windedness.

You're "preaching to the choir" about "long-winded." :))

This isn't a new phenomenon.

1978, my first year teaching -- 9th grade English in what is now formally classified a Title 1 school.

I'll call him "Steve" -- first, I couldn't and wouldn't tell you his real name; second, I don't even remember it, it's been so long. But he was one of the smartest, brightest kids I've ever encountered.

9th grade is the horror year: 16th birthday when we lose 'em -- when the despair and the "going nowhere; what's the point; who cares" takes kids like Steve out to the Streets to be destroyed.

September: Steve aced a test, big time. I grabbed his hand to shake it, thinking to honor him like I would a grown man. He groaned and grabbed his shoulder, obviously in agony, so I sent him to the nurse. Three broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. Nurse tells me what everybody else in the school has always known -- and been unable to stop. His "mother" is a well-known "crack whore" who took "clients" home, let them do whatever they wanted, in trade for her next Zombie Dose. Three kids listening the whole time, the little sister barely 3, little brother just starting Kindergarten, several abortions and dead babies in between them and Steve, her first.

Client the night before got rougher than Steve could endure, so he tried to stop it. Client AND MOM both turned on him, instead. They were real careful not to touch his face, mind you. If I hadn't tried to shake his hand, the beating would never have been reported.

Courts put Mom in Rehab and the three kids in foster care -- AGAIN -- and she was out, had 'em back by Halloween. When I asked Steve how it was going, he replied, "What'ja think, Lady? Nuthin' changes. Don't never change." And he was again unable to attend tutorials after school, again missing classes day after day, because he was "Mom's" designated babysitter so she could sleep off the night before.

Turned 16 just before Christmas and was gone. Got a job in Dallas at a car wash. Came back one night and got his siblings. Mom and CPS case worker showed up after classes, demanding to know if I knew where Steve was. I didn't. He hadn't told me. But the Dallas cops found him. He got 6 months for kidnapping, the babies sent back to Mom.

Steve died before his 19th birthday -- killed in the LA area during a drug gang shootout -- yeah, that's what happened to one of the most talented kids I've ever taught -- because the System just didn't give a damn and sure as hell did everything it could to ensure Steve's destruction -- and the destruction of the only two people that fine young man ever gave a damn about, his little brother and sister. Yeah, little bro ended up on drugs, too, in and out of the prison system all his short and lousy life -- and little sister got raped and murdered by one of Mom's clients. Mom eventually OD'd ---- but nowhere near soon enough to save her kids.

All because the System just didn't give a Tinker's Damn about the kids. Because the System was protecting a totally wiped out "mother" instead of protecting her kids.

And there wasn't even bribery involved in that one. Nothing but a Care Less Nothing with no one willing to Stand and Defend those kids.

That was the case that turned me into one really nasty-mean political activist, out to clean up the System, determined to protect every single kid -- and Mom, too -- that comes to my attention.

Because SOMEBODY just has to give a damn about the Lost Ones. Somebody just has to care.


Thank you, Jim.

You're a MAN I'm proud to know.

[grumpy38]

juvenile justice when running as written and legal--is still a waste of time and money

I work in juvenile justice--if the victems knew how good these guys have it they would be outraged

they play basketball,watch tv (a 42" fLCD by the way) good food and they go to school and get their GED, they get free surgeries,dental care etc etc and they work in dietary or a cleaning crew and make minimum wage so when they are released they go home with thousands of dollars to buy guns and drugs again

the court orders that they complete groups such as anger management,victem awareness,drug and alcohol,parenting--etc etc etc all classes designed to rehabilitate and/or teach appropriate behaviors for a civilized society--now the joke is that these inmates (16 to 21yrs old) don't pay attention in these classes and then the person running the group fudges the paperwork and says oh yes Tyrone and David and Johnny and Jose all participated in a 1 hr group and succesfully completed their assignments

LOL ha ha ha they did no such thing all they did was bitch and complain for 15 minutes and then threaten to act out--go wild and start a riot if the group wasn't ended and the f-in TV turned back on:wall:

so another counselor who is paid close to $50,000 a yr plays movies about pro wrestling with violence and degrading to women and they call that a wellness or health group

so many over paid people here to lie on the paperwork and make it look like the inmates from philly are doing what the court ordered them to do in order to get release papers--all lies

taxpayer money being wasted because bleeding hearts don't want to open their eyes and admit these criminal thugs are to far gone to be rehabilitated and what they really need to do is go to a real prison--not some so called treatment facility where they live a better life than they do at home--getting brand name sneakers to ruin--brand name sopa tooth paste etc etc etc which they waste by throwing away and asking for new stuff every couple days--they even throw $70 sneakers in the garbage cans and demand a new pair because someone else got a new pair because they were either a new inmate or their sneakers really were ready for the trash---and yes some of the bleeding heart staff hand over the new pair of sneakers so there won't be any trouble

and then we have male staff having sex with the female inmates--again they are 16 to 21 yrs old and staff are 21yrs and up

the female staff have sex with the male inmates

some are caught and fired--some are caught and quietly told to resign--so many many cases of sex going on behind the wire fences and locked doors but everything is swept under the rug because the management doesn't want to do the paperwork or have it known that this place is ****ed up

we have many many staff who are on drugs,have mental problems some are former inmates themselves from other states --they call off sick all the time, they sleep on the job, they do not help anyone when there are restraints and fights they collect a check for doing absolutely nothing,they bring in contraband for inmates --1 young fat female staff even brought in wire cutters for an inmate to try and escape with--oh but she was in LOVE with him---only a matter of time before someone brings in a gun for an inmate


juvenile justice is a joke--it is soft on hard core criminals due to their age---wake up these guys would cut your throat for the fun of it--treat them like the trash that they are--lock them up in a real jail---are there any real jails in the USA--without TV weight lifting rooms and creature comforts of home---I dought it