Amy Goodman
@DemocracyNow·3.2M subscribers·19.4K videos
Kids For Cash: Inside One of the Nation's Most Shocking Juvenile Justice Scandals (Part 1 of 3)
Posted
February 4, 2014
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17:29Now PlayingToday a special on "kids for cash," the shocking story of how thousands of children in Pennsylvania were jailed by two corrupt judges who received $2.6 million in kickbacks from the builders and owners of private prison facilities. We hear from two of the youthCharlie Balasavage was sent to juvenile detention after his parents unknowingly bought him a stolen scooter. Hillary Transue was detained for creating a MySpace page mocking her assistant high school principal. They were both 14 years old and were sentenced by the same judge, Judge Mark Ciavarella, who is now in jail himself serving a 28year sentence. Balasavage and Transue are featured in the new documentary, "Kids For Cash," by filmmaker Robert May, who also joins us. In addition, we speak to two mothersSandy Fonzo, whose son Ed Kenzakoski committed suicide after being imprisoned for years by Judge Ciavarella, and Hillary's mother, Laurene Transue. Putting their stories into context of the larger scandal is attorney Robert Schwartz, executive director of the Juvenile Law Center. The story is still developing; in October, the private juveniledetention companies in the scandal settled a civil lawsuit for $2.5 million.
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