Free Republic

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – For years, the juvenile court system in Wilkes-Barre operated like a conveyor belt: Youngsters were brought before judges without a lawyer, given hearings that lasted only a minute or two, and then sent off to juvenile prison for months for minor offenses. The explanation, prosecutors say, was corruption on the bench. In one of the most shocking cases of courtroom graft on record, two Pennsylvania judges have been charged with taking millions of dollars in kickbacks to send teenagers to two privately run youth detention centers. "I've never encountered, and I don't think that we will in...

Woman's concerns lead to sex abuse probe Wednesday, January 25, 2006 By CONNIE BAGGETT Staff Reporter EVERGREEN -- A 58-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman were being held without bond in the Conecuh County Jail Tuesday as investigators worked to unravel a disturbing case of alleged sexual abuse of a teen-aged boy and a 3-year-old girl, according to District Attorney Tommy Chapman. The two adults remained in custody due in part to the diligence of a woman who saw one of the children, believed something was wrong and pressed authorities for days to check on the child, Chapman said. Chapman...