Rule of law means, more than anything else, that there are consequences for the rich and powerful.<p>> Other major figures in the case settled years ago, including the builder and the owner of the private lockups and their companies, in payouts totaling about $25 million.<p>When you can settle for "just the cost of doing business" prices, the rule of law is clearly weak enough that you know corruption is accelerating.<p>Nothing has made America's lack of rule of law more apparent to me than the "rule of law" party's 2nd most powerful person standing in front of news cameras and confidently saying "My husband and I have a right to trade stocks with insider information, despite numerous professionals being restricted from doing so. Rules for thee, but not for me, because I'm a congresswoman."<p>How are we supposed to fight corruption, systemic or otherwise, when the people most equipped to fight it won't even look at themselves?<p>Our leaders are failing to lead by example.
I'm glad these guys are being punished for their actions, but the wildest part to me is that if they <i>hadn't</i> been taking kickbacks - if they were just Law and Order types who thought sending a 14 year old to boarding school for 9 months was an appropriate punishment for stealing change from unlocked cars, or that sending a 15 year old to wilderness camp for mocking an assistant principal on MySpace - then nothing would have happened and it would still be business as usual. In other words, the issue wasn't wildly punitive sentences for minors committing trivial crimes (or non-crimes); it was that they got paid outside the confines of the system.
This is known as the "Kids For Cash" scandal. There is a 2013 documentary by that title. I saw it, and it portrays a truly ugly tale.<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_for_cash_scandal" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_for_cash_scandal</a>
The punishment should be more than a fine it should be jail. If you can pay for the consequences then there are no laws. Take away their freedom and make them lose time in their life.
A few years ago there was a dentist nearby apparently getting kickbacks to pull the teeth from children living in poverty: <a href="https://www.twincities.com/2018/05/12/hudson-la-petite-dentistry-investigated-needlessly-pulling-kids-teeth-and-overusing-gas-surrenders-license/amp/" rel="nofollow">https://www.twincities.com/2018/05/12/hudson-la-petite-denti...</a><p>The love of money and all…
I grew up in Luzerne county (I'm here now, actually, staying with my parents). Ciavarella visited my high school to give a presentation about his zero tolerance policy. It was almost mocking. He knew exactly what he was doing and had zero shame.<p>Kids got sent away to "juvy" and never came back. Parents were ashamed and moved away so the kids didn't have to come back after their sentence was up. Nobody talked about what was happening and it stayed quiet for a long time.
Note, this is a civil case against these judges. There was already a different criminal case where they were found guilty.<p>(this is all in the article)
Does this person have 200M to pay back? If not, put him back in jail. It's insane someone would put kids as young as 8 years into detention, let alone profiting from it.
Frankly. Only in the US of A. This is such a stain on the country. How did these not get capital punishment? How did the ones paying the bribes not get capital punishment? How does anyone involved in the crime still have money left?
This breach of duty and public trust is on par with the cancer guy:<p><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2015/07/10/us/michigan-cancer-doctor-sentenced" rel="nofollow">https://www.cnn.com/2015/07/10/us/michigan-cancer-doctor-sen...</a>
We don't have a really effective way to make this kind of corruption stop. Increasing the fines won't result in the money getting collected. We used to have social and religious ways of dealing with those near the end of their lives who just want to burn the world for personal gain.
I think that the State should be held liable in the event they can’t pay it personally.<p>The financial burden should be on the Justice system, not on the victims.
Humanity has to find a way to make individuals with psychopathic traits ineligible for positions of authority. Otherwise, cases like this will keep happening, and potentially end the civilisation some time soon.
I'm usually a believer in the free market, but in instances like these, I struggle with my faith. I can only pray that this was part of God's plan and that these kids will henceforth be enlightened throughout their lives.