Judges accept kickback to send juveniles to detention

This is probably one of the most infuriating stories I have ever read in my lifetime:

For years, youth advocacy groups complained that Judge Ciavarella was unusually harsh. He sent a quarter of his juvenile defendants to detention centers from 2002 to 2006, compared with a state rate of 1 in 10. He also routinely ignored requests for leniency made by prosecutors and probation officers.

“The juvenile system, by design, is intended to be a less punitive system than the adult system, and yet here were scores of children with very minor infractions having their lives ruined,” said Marsha Levick, a lawyer with the Philadelphia-based Juvenile Law Center.

Judges Plead Guilty in Scheme to Jail Youths for Profit - NYTimes.com

I mean, not only are these judges screwing around with people's freedom, they're doing it to children. My God, what has this world come to? These men should be ashamed of themselves. I hope they are offered no protection from the general population when they hit the slammer.

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