<![CDATA[Pennsylvania - Law Offices of William W. Bruzzo]]> https://www.bruzzolaw.com/blog/tags/pennsylvania/ Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:45:39 GMT en-us <![CDATA[Corrupt Judge Incarcerated Juveniles for Profit]]> https://www.bruzzolaw.com/blog/corrupt-judge-incarcerated-juveniles-for-profit/ https://www.bruzzolaw.com/blog/corrupt-judge-incarcerated-juveniles-for-profit/ Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:59:00 GMT In Pennsylvania a juvenile court judge was convicted of racketeering, money laundering and conspiracy for a total of 12 counts. The crime involved receiving money from a detention center in exchange for sentencing juveniles to that particular facility. The judge, Michael Ciavarella allegedly worked to close the county juvenile facility then use a new private…

]]> In Pennsylvania a juvenile court judge was convicted of racketeering, money laundering and conspiracy for a total of 12 counts. The crime involved receiving money from a detention center in exchange for sentencing juveniles to that particular facility. The judge, Michael Ciavarella allegedly worked to close the county juvenile facility then use a new private center that he and others were going to approve for construction. According to an article, people had complained about the judge’s often harsh punishment for minor offenses. Ciavarella sent 25% of defendants to juvenile detention in comparison to the state norm of 10%. There were also concerns that the judge denied defendants’ legal counsel when entering a plea. This corruption has created a situation where a large group of juvenile offenders might be in custody unreasonably and their cases might need a second look. As county employees, the judges enjoy immunity from civil prosecution for their work on the bench. It would make it difficult for parents for example, to sue for compensation. It is unclear how much the Judge received from the detention facility.

]]> <![CDATA[Teenagers Can Be Prosecuted for Sending Nude Pictures of Themselves]]> https://www.bruzzolaw.com/blog/teenagers-can-be-prosecuted-for-sending-nude-pictures-of-themselves/ https://www.bruzzolaw.com/blog/teenagers-can-be-prosecuted-for-sending-nude-pictures-of-themselves/ Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:51:00 GMT Attention has been brought to the practice of “sexting”, where teenagers send provocative text messages or revealing pictures via cell phones. This trend has appeared in the news and in episodes of television series. While there is no specific law against teenagers sending explicit photos of themselves, prosecutors are charging individuals with distribution of child…

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Sexting

Attention has been brought to the practice of “sexting”, where teenagers send provocative text messages or revealing pictures via cell phones. This trend has appeared in the news and in episodes of television series. While there is no specific law against teenagers sending explicit photos of themselves, prosecutors are charging individuals with distribution of child pornography based on the subject’s status as a minor. To date there has been no effort to prosecute inappropriate written messages. Sexting normally occurs when pictures of nude or semi-nude teenager are sent to another teenager; normally, the teenager posing for the pictures is usually the one taking and sending the photo. Officials are troubled by the possibility that the photo can be distributed to others without the consent of the subject and with the possibility of the minor being exploited. In Pennsylvania a court ruling is being criticized where a judge told a group of teenagers to attend a program on why sexting is wrong or face charges of child pornography. Naturally, the first line of discipline for teenagers is their parents or guardians and it seems like sexting has now become a relevant matter to be discussed at home. (See Penal Code Sections 311, 311.1, 311.2 and 311.3)

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