Thursday, January 31, 2013

Judges Indicted For Corruption

Nine Judges Charged With Corruption

January 31, 2013

Several current and former judges assigned to Philadelphia's Traffic Court have been charged with corruption involving a pervasive ticket fixing scheme. The allegation is that local businessmen, politicians and others with influence got their tickets 'fixed' by judges in Philadelphia's Traffic Court. It seems that the practice has been going on for years. 

The problem with corruption has been so widespread that a consultant for the court system has reported that that major overhauls are required for the entire traffic court system in Philadelphia. This is not the first time there has been a major corruption scandal in the courts in Pennsylvania. A couple of years ago two Superior Court Judges assigned to the juvenile court system were indicted for accepting kickbacks.

Millions of Dollars In Kickbacks

In Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania a scandal dubbed 'Cash for Kids' rocked the judicial bench in 2008. Apparently two judges in Wilkes-Barre were sending juveniles to two privately operated juvenile detention facilities in exchange for kick-backs from the companies operating the detention centers. 

The scandal was discovered after several juveniles with little or no previous criminal history were sentenced to unusually long sentences in the juvenile detention centers. During the investigation one judge agreed to cooperate and it was discovered that millions of dollars in bribes was paid to Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan. 

The scandal is particularly disheartening because the victims were juveniles. It is impossible to say how many juveniles were affected by the scandal however at least one committed suicide after receiving a sentence for a first time offense. Edward Kenzakoski's mother appeared on the steps of the courthouse where Mark Ciavarella was being prosecuted to bring attention to the plight of her son who committed suicide. 

Fresno Area Judges

As an attorney practicing in the Fresno, CA area for years, I can honestly say that I have never had a single judge waiver in their integrity. Without so much as a hint of corruption, every Fresno judge I have dealt with has carried out their duties in an honorable manner. That is not to say that I have always agreed with their rulings. In fact, I believe that many judges have worked as district attorneys and it is impossible for them to completely eliminate some of their biases and prejudices. With that being said, they do carry out their job with integrity and honor. 

It is a good thing that Fresno judges have integrity because it is the foundation of a justice system. Even if you know that a particular judge is conservative or strict in his sentencing, you can plan for that and consider that fact when litigating a case. When judges compromise their ethics and morals the entire system is compromised. 

It is the knowledge that judges are fair and impartial that forms the bedrock of our system. When a dispute arises, people know that they can go to court and get assistance resolving the problem from an impartial person that will follow the rule of law.  

No comments:

Post a Comment