Juvenile Justice

Ex-Judge to Plead Guilty in Kids-for-Cash Scandal; Is He ‘Singing Like a Bird’?

Former Luzerne County Judge Michael Conahan has agreed to plead guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy in the $2.8 million “kids for cash” scandal. Conahan faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when he is sentenced, according to the Legal Intelligencer…

Apr 30, 2010 1:09 PM CDT

Judge Who Ordered Rape-Victim Polygraphs May Be Reconsidering

An Ohio juvenile judge who ignited a firestorm of criticism by ordering young sexual assault victims to take lie-detector tests after she found their alleged attackers delinquent seems to be reconsidering whether the polygraphs were a good idea. Although Cuyahoga County Juvenile Judge Alison Floyd hasn’t commented publicly about her…

Apr 27, 2010 7:49 PM CDT

Lawyer Skips School Discipline Route, Files Restraining Orders Against Alleged Bullies

Rather than wait on schools in New Hampshire to step in on behalf of students who claim they are being bullied, a Portsmouth lawyer is going to court. Twice this month, Jay Nadeau has sought restraining orders against students who his clients claim are bullying them at Winnacunnet High School.…

Apr 23, 2010 6:00 PM CDT

Girls, 16 and 17, Charged as Adults in Bank Robberies

Sixteen-year-old Shennell Kennebrew had been assured by 40-year-old Keith Sims that she was too young to get into serious trouble, authorities say. If so, she now knows otherwise: The girl has been charged as an adult, along with Sims, her 17-year-old boyfriend, Dasha Taylor, and a 17-year-old girl, Jade Beers,…

Apr 2, 2010 6:38 PM CDT

Cops on Paid Leave After Reported Use of Stun Gun on Boy, 10

Called to a home day care center to deal with an out-of-control 10-year-old who was kicking, screaming and spitting, one Martinsville, Ind., police officer reportedly used a stun gun on the boy and another slapped him in the face with an open hand. Both officers are now on paid administrative…

Apr 1, 2010 10:51 PM CDT

Are Criminal Charges the Right Way to Punish High School Bullies in Suicide Cases?

A prosecutor’s unusual decision to pursue criminal charges against a group of high school classmates whose bullying allegedly resulted in the targeted 15-year-old’s suicide has sparked debate about how best to address such situations. Some say the criminal charges—which range from statutory rape to harassment and likely would not have…

Mar 31, 2010 10:39 PM CDT

Kids-for-Cash Scandal Sparks Report Urging Sweeping Juvie Court Changes

A Pennsylvania judge appointed by the state supreme court to review cases in a troubled county in which senior judges allegedly took what amounted to kickbacks for jailing juveniles has issued a report recommending sweeping changes in the juvenile court system. Among them: Juvenile court hearings should be public, attorneys…

Mar 31, 2010 12:10 AM CDT

9 Teens Charged with Harassment That Allegedly Led to Classmate’s Suicide

Nine teenagers in Massachusetts are now facing criminal charges after allegedly harassing a high school classmate so severely that she committed suicide in January after a three-month campaign that included physical attacks, taunting and cyberbullying via social networking websites. Charges against the two boys and seven girls range from statutory…

Mar 29, 2010 11:26 PM CDT

Boy, Now 12, Will Be Tried as Adult in Murder of Dad’s Pregnant Girlfriend

An 11-year-old boy who police say shot and killed his father’s eight-months-pregnant girlfriend in the family home early last year will be tried as an adult in the homicides of the Pennsylvania woman and her unborn baby. Jordan Brown, now 12, has been charged with criminal homicide and homicide of…

Mar 29, 2010 9:14 PM CDT

Juvenile Judge Orders 4 Sex-Assault Victims to Take Polygraph Test

Baffling prosecutors and upsetting victims, an Ohio judge has ordered four teenage victims of sexual assaults to take polygraph tests—after their alleged attackers have already been found delinquent, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Cuyahoga Juvenile Court Judge Alison Floyd has also called for the delinquent teens, who are accused of…

Mar 19, 2010 5:35 PM CDT

800 Youths in Treatment, Nary a Full-Time Psychiatrist in Sight, Judge Observes

For nine months, Supervising Judge Edwina G. Richardson-Mendelson has overseen the New York City judges who detain juveniles, many of whom suffer from some sort of mental illness. In September she was made aware of what the New York Times characterizes as a “startling” fact: There are no full-time staff…

Feb 11, 2010 12:27 PM CST

Boy, 11, Charged with Felony over Alleged Pencil Attack in Math Class

A math class dispute among middle-schoolers in upstate New York led to a felony charge against an 11-year-old boy after he allegedly attacked with a sharp pencil a classmate who had annoyed him with offers of help. The unidentified suspect in the Sauquoit Valley Middle School incident was charged with…

Feb 10, 2010 1:17 AM CST

ABA Adopts Host of Criminal Justice Measures

The ABA’s policy-making House of Delegates this morning passed a series of nine criminal justice resolutions. The measures had wide support from both prosecutors and the defense bar, according to speakers. The resolutions urge: • Employers and educational institutions to ignore juvenile convictions that have been expunged. • Legislatures to…

Feb 8, 2010 4:00 PM CST

DWI Defendant Goes to Jail After Posting ‘Drunk in Florida’ Facebook Photo

A 17-year-old DWI defendant’s Facebook photo labeled “drunk in Florida” may be the reason she was sentenced to six months in jail for a crash that killed her boyfriend. Ashley Sullivan went to Florida a month after the May 30 crash, then posted the Facebook photo chronicling her time there,…

Jan 28, 2010 1:12 PM CST

Allegedly Beaten By 15-Year-Old Son, Texas Mom Must Pay His Legal Bills

A Texas woman who says she was severely beaten by her 15-year-old son after she asked him to do his chores last year is being treated as a crime victim. But Teresa Fuller is also the teen’s mother, which makes her responsible for his legal bills, explains the El Paso…

Jan 26, 2010 12:25 AM CST