An eleventh grader involved in a fight over a girl, his first offense, hauled off in shackles.
A 12-year old with a severe mental illness diagnosis sent to “adventure camp” to freeze in a tent while occasionally taking medication that kept him stable.
A 7-year old moved from place to place to place, perhaps because his grandmother was a vocal critic of his treatment.
Oh, I could go on and on. If the above stories are true, then I have a new name for the juvenile justice system in Luzerne County under former Judge Mark Ciavarella: Kidmo.
For all those who bemoan the treatment of terrorists at the hands of their American captors, let me ask you to consider the plight of some of our own citizens, our children.
It seems to the casual observer that children in Luzerne County may have been part of some “get rich” scheme by some judges. Callers are telling us that children never had a chance in Judge Ciavarella’s courtroom. Probation officers didn’t think detention was necessary. Forget it.
People were told not to bother with bringing a lawyer to court. They were wrong.
Reports of the troubles kids faced may have been ordered, but did anyone take them into account?
Teens who were never in trouble before were allegedly punished harshly, even when it seemed not to be the best course of action.
If parents and guardians are telling the truth, someone needs to take action. Although no amount of money can repair the psychological harm, compensation may be in order. If records need to be cleaned, bring the eraser.
A lot of people have gotten into trouble as juveniles in the annals of Luzerne County history. Some have gone on to become career criminals. Some have gone on to leadership positions. If some of the kids who were locked up unfairly are scarred for life and choose the first path, who’s to blame?
Someone told me over the weekend this “new” news may very well be very old policy around here. Locals have praised a former camp for bad kids as effective and very necessary. However, it may be interesting to see how much profit motivated its existence. If it ends now and no one else’s children suffer, so be it. Let this be the start of the end of many of the county’s questionable past practices. I have no doubt there’s more to come.
Corbett
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