A judge brought in to clean up after a "kids for cash" scandal has expunged every juvenile court case decided by a Pennsylvania jurist convicted of corruption.When the checks and balances fail so badly that judges manage to get kickbacks for sending kids to private prisons, and no one says anything for years, expunging every conviction is least that we owe them as a society.
Senior Judge Arthur Grim was selected almost three years ago to review juvenile court cases decided by former Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella, who's serving time in jail for his involvement in the corruption case.
As a result of Grim's efforts, records have been expunged for more than 2,000 juveniles sentenced by Ciavarella.
Ciavarella and another ex-judge are serving federal prison sentences for sending juveniles to for-profit youth detention centers in return for money.
Grim called the handling of juvenile cases in Luzerne County a judicial process "run amok," and he gave recommendations to prevent such renegade justice again.
Pennsylvania State Supreme Court Chief Justice Ron Castille said Thursday that Grim has suggested many reforms that require legislative action, but the courts have already changed certain rules to treat kids more fairly.
Background here.
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