The state Supreme Court said Thursday that Berks County Senior Judge Arthur Grim has completed his review of cases handled by former Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella (shiv-uh-REL’-uh) Jr. The justices returned control of all juvenile court functions to the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas. –The Republic.com
It’s been referred to as the “Kids for Cash” scandal. A few years ago Ciavarella and another ex-judge, both of whom are serving deservedly long prison sentences today, accepted money from the owner and builder of two for-profit youth detention facilities. On Grimm’s recommendation The Supreme Court dismissed the convictions of more than 2,000 juvenile offenders in which the constitutional rights of the accused were disregarded.
It’s a tragic situation that shines a spotlight on the basic flaws inherent in for-profit incarceration. It is almost universally acknowledged that in most cases incarceration is not the answer. At least not for any sort of sustainable improvement. That is an idea that is at odds with a business model whose goal is to fill rooms in those same facilities. Profit margin and effective improvement of our juvenile justice system are directly at odds in this scenario.
For profit detention facilities have become common. I’ve written about them several times on this very blog as a matter of fact. More states are making attempts to transition to more effective long term policies – initiatives to help prevent delinquency and lower truancy rates; improvements in the coordination of youth services; and provide opportunities for community partnerships to teach youth new skills. One of the big barriers to this transition is economic, quite simply incarceration is big business.
At no point should we allow profit to trump the needs of our communities and their youth, but all too often it does.
Image Source: 401K on Flickr, used under it’s Creative Commons license
