Judge who sent child to for-profit prison ordered to pay $200 million

Two Pennsylvania judges orchestrated plans to send children to for-profit prisons in exchange for kickbacks , was ordered to pay more than $200 to millions to hundreds of children who were victims of crime.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Connor has awarded nearly 300 plaintiffs $106 million in compensatory damages and his $100 million in a lengthy civil lawsuit against the judge. awarded punitive damages.

In what became known as the Children's Cash Scandal, Marc Sheavarella and another judge, Michael Conahan, closed a county-run juvenile detention center and paid 2.8 million dollars from its builders. Co-owner of two for-profit lockups, accepting illegal payments of dollars. Shea Barrera, who presided over the juvenile court, promoted Zero Tolerance her policy of ensuring large numbers of children were sent to PA Childcare and its sister facility, Western PA Childcare.

Sheabarella ordered her eight-year-old to be detained. Many of them were first-time offender children convicted of petty crimes and other minor crimes. Judges often ordered young people who were found to be in arrears to be handcuffed, handcuffed and removed immediately, without giving them the opportunity to say goodbye to their families.

"Ciavarella and Conahan renounced their oaths and betrayed the public trust," Conner wrote on Tuesday in an explanation of the damages. Such behavior has cost a vulnerable group of young people suffering from emotional and mental health problems.”

It reigned in immeasurable neglect," Connor wrote.

Ciavarella was known for his "zero tolerance" approach to juveniles, and his sentencing decisions were often capricious. Connor's ruling said her 16-year-old girl, who was in court for driving the wrong way down a one-way street, was sentenced to 11 months in prison for having the same number of buttons on her offender's shirt. was sentenced to  Another boy who attended her release hearing was instead sentenced to an additional eight months for choosing the wrong sport for his team. 

Some of the youths sentenced by Shea Barrera or Conahan died of drug overdoses or suicides, Conner writes. After coming out, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed 4,000 juvenile convictions made between 2003 and 2008.

Sheavarella is serving a 28-year prison sentence. was released on house arrest. He has six years left on his sentence.