Posted on 11/22/2014 8:52:51 PM PST by Altariel
HILADELPHIA (CBS) Multiple sources involved in cases in Philadelphia Family Court say sheriffs deputies improperly strip-searched juveniles in both criminal and DHS custody cases who were appearing at the court for hearings earlier this week.
And once court administrators discovered what was going on, they put a stop to it.
According to multiple sources, juveniles in county custody for both criminal and non-criminal matters who were making courtroom appearances at the new Family Courthouse, at 15th and Arch Streets, were first strip-searched by sheriffs deputies as a security measure all day Monday of this week and possible part of Tuesday.
These sources say the searches occurred individually and in small groups, and that the juveniles were asked to remove all their clothes, to squat, and to cough.
Multiple sources tell KYW Newsradio that the juveniles complained about the practice and, when court administration learned what was going on, administrative judge Kevin Dougherty put a stop to it.
The new courthouse officially opened on Monday.
A spokesman for Philadelphia Family Court issued a statement today that said, On Tuesday morning of this week, in response to concerns raised by child advocates over allegations of strip searches of juveniles, the leadership of Philadelphia Family Court directed the Sheriffs Office to cease and desist all strip searches pending further notice. Today, Family Court issued new rules governing the screening and detention of juveniles that the Court developed in collaboration with the Sheriffs Office.
Our sources were unable to say how many juveniles were searched and/or whether any practice of this sort was in place at the old courthouse.
But they did tell us that not all of the young people searched were in custody on a criminal matter some were in group homes and others in dependency care because their parents were in custody.
The sources said the main concern of adults who complained about the procedures was ongoing traumatization of the children, since some of these juveniles may have already been victims of physical, sexual, or other abuse.
a supposed adult doing this on orders, just shows how weak the individual is and how strong the govt wage/pension/bennies pull is....to strip search a child especially a child who’s already been pulled from his/her home is insane....then again,maybe the perverted govt workers enjoyed it...
Seems excessive.
Since the Sheriff’s office was ordered to desist, presumably, the sheriff gave the orders for the strip searches.
Are ages mentioned? Is there a difference between children and juveniles?
Disgusting.
... and now the kids get a dose of State-sponsered child abuse. Lovely.
Headline says “children”. Story says “juveniles”. Trayvon Martin was a “juvenile”.
Do these “children” have beards and sport gang tattoos?
“Children, some as young as 11 years old, were strip searched by officers in front of other people in a courthouse this week, according to reports. Many of the children were told to squat down and cough, as they were watched by strangers.”
This has been floating around and is attributed to the article. It has apparently been removed from the article.
Who the hell ordered this heinous practice?!
Yep, because clearly kids in the system require more abuse.
I doubt the 11 year olds did.
“Seems excessive.”
Yes, it does, but nowhere does it say what the cops found as a result of the searches, or the reason they decided strip searches were needed in the first place.
There’s more to this story than CBS is telling us.
Pedo-Cops??
Perverts getting their jollies.
God, what a craphole my old city turned into.
Frankie Rizzo, we miss you....
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