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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCash for Kids Scandal.
I was watching Democracy Now! this morning and they were doing a special on the Cash for Kids scandal in Pennsylvania. Has anyone else heard about this? Two judges, Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan, sentenced thousands of children to boot camps, detention centers, rehab, and jail in exchange for money from the private detention centers. $2.6 million in cash, allegedly.
Here are a few articles about it:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/02/23/pennsylvania.corrupt.judges/index.html?_s=PM:CRIME
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/18/kids-for-cash-scandal-2-million-settlement_n_4123236.html#slide=1607575
And here's a look at the documentary about it: http://www.movies.com/kids-for-cash/m69836
There was a $2.5 million settlement for the kids and the (ex) judges were given jail time, but those kids will never get that part of their childhood back. This is just one of the many reasons why private jails, or "detention centers", are a horrible idea. There's just too much room for corruption in our justice system.
JustAnotherGen
(31,688 posts)Few years back. Privatized Prisons make an already shaky justice system crumble to the core.
SamKnause
(13,043 posts)Democracy Now has had several reports about Cash for Kids.
Democracy Now reports the news !!!
It is an excellent source for information pertaining to this country and around the world.
Independent news organizations are the only ones where the facts, not the myths, are reported.
Journalists like Rachel Maddow can only go so far.
She works for one of the corporations that control the media.
Their will not allow their "reputation" or bottom line to be challenged.
Lunacee_2013
(529 posts)You can tell she does her research, but the MSNBC bosses will only let her go so far. It would be nice if she had a show on FSTV or Link, but I don't think as many people would watch that compared to her current show. At least she can reach a wider audience on MSNBC, and hopefully that will get more people interested in left-wing politics.