Word: pennsylvania
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...biggest scandal in American legal history, many are calling it at least the darkest day for the country's troubled juvenile-justice system. For more than four years earlier this decade, two senior county juvenile-court judges in northeastern Pennsylvania took kickbacks of $2.6 million in exchange for packing thousands of kids off to privately owned detention centers. Many of the kids had committed minor offenses and didn't have the benefit of a lawyer. A 14-year-old from Wilkes-Barre, for instance, spent a year in a Glen Mills detention facility for the offense of stealing loose change...
...Pennsylvania scandal showed, keeping kids out of institutions requires at the very least zealous legal representation. The Supreme Court extended the right to legal counsel to juveniles in 1967. But in practice the requirement still goes largely unfulfilled, in part because in some jurisdictions, it does not apply to the initial detention hearings at which judges decide whether the minor can stay at home or must be held by authorities. In addition, the confidentiality measures in place to protect the identities of minors can sometimes prevent much needed transparency...
...responsive and responsible system also requires oversight throughout the justice system, something that appears to have been sorely lacking in Pennsylvania. No one has accused prosecutors of being part of the scheme, but many observers argue that they were in a position where they should have known of the problem but chose not to speak out. Instead, it took the work of the Philadelphia-based Juvenile Law Center to uncover the abuses. After discovering that more than 50% of kids in Luzerne County Juvenile Court had been without legal counsel, the organization in April 2008 petitioned the Pennsylvania supreme court...
...enthusiasm by Senators on both sides of the political aisle, but yesterday’s vote brought unexpected Republican opposition. Much of Kagan’s bi-partisan support evaporated in recent months after a spat with Sen. Arlen Specter over her unwillingness to answer several questions from the Pennsylvania Republican about her legal views. During debate on the Senate floor yesterday, Republican Senators criticized Kagan as a result. “I think we have to pay a little more attention, and I’ve gone to some length to try to find out more about Dean Kagan...
LaTourette, Rep. Steve • "giant sucking sound" of "the tightening of sphincters on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue" is noted...