Kids for cash deal nets judge 28 years behind bars

Scranton – Some 4,000 wayward juveniles, their attorneys and parents had no way of knowing when they stood before Judge Mark Ciavarella there was no way their pleadings, discoveries of evidence, or the testimony offered would have any effect on their fate.

It was already sealed by the terms of a $1 million cash bribe he took from the builder of two juvenile detention centers. The judge would sentence the kids to jail for cash. That was the reason for the million dollar payment.

The results were grim, indeed. Emotional scarring of kids sentenced to the harsh environment of a high security lockup, a loss of confidence in the juvenile criminal system, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's throwing out all the cases adjudicated by Judge Ciavarella, is just for starters.

In papers filed with the federal Court that sentenced the judge to 28 years in the penitentiary for racketeering, his attorneys stated Judge Ciavarella had been punished enough already. They asked for a “reasonable” sentence.

Judge Ciavarella is 61 years of age.