By Zack Needles
Of the Legal Staff
The state Supreme Court on Thursday posted three special master determinations that collectively listed the names of over 100 victims of juveniles whose convictions were tossed out following the Luzerne County "kids-for-cash" scandal and the amounts each will be compensated from the Special Juvenile Victim Compensation Fund, which was established in 2010 "solely to provide compensation to victims of juvenile crime in a county of the third class."
A quick scan of the lists shows the largest awards to be in the $1,200 to $1,500 range.
According to the documents, the amount to be paid to each victim is equal to what each would have been entitled to had a consent decree or adjudication of delinquency not been vacated in his or her case, minus any compensation that may have already been paid in connection with the alleged crime.
Watch The Legal's website Friday as well as Monday's print edition for more about the payments.
Zack Needles is a reporter for The Legal. He can be contacted at ZNeedles@alm.com or 215-557-2493. Follow him on Twitter at @ZNeedlesTLI.
Judicial Conduct Board Corruption Needs to be Exposed Again!
The proper thing would have been to offer new trials to all juveniles who requested one and let stand the convictions and guilty pleas of all who did not request a new trial. By doing so taxpayer money would NOT have been required for restitution. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court was in such a hurry to cover up the inexcusable activity of the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board that justice or fairness never entered into the equation. It was all about making this nightmare (exposure) go away as quickly as possible while revealing as little as possible regarding the corruption of the JCB itself. The JCB has been used for decades as a tool to remove or control political enemies of the powerful elite. Not a single Pennsylvania Legislator or Law Enforcement Agency has demanded a Grand Jury Investigation of the JCB even though the JCB misspoke (LIED) at least 4 separate times as to why the Board in essence protected the “Kids for Cash” judges over a long period of time while prosecuting a judge who attempted to “blow the whistle” on the whole charade. The Chairman of the JCB at that time was also business partners with the ringleader “Kids for Cash” judge. A former member of the JCB by the name of Robert Surrick wrote a book which included great detail regarding the corruption of this board. As an insider he exposed the JCB’s monumental corruption and was hunted down by the powers that be so intensely that he eventually not only left the state but he left the country. I am convinced that NOTHING will change until the corruption of the JCB is exposed and corrected. Sign me: Larry Hohol
Posted by: Larry Hohol | Friday, July 29, 2011 at 05:24 AM