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Pennsylvania Private Juvenile Prison Scandal Results in Guilty Pleas
Loaded on Nov. 15, 2009
by Matthew Clarke
published in Prison Legal News
November, 2009, page 42
by Matt Clarke
Filed under:
Contractor Misconduct,
Judicial Misconduct,
Crime/Demographics,
Criminal Prosecution,
Attorney Misconduct,
Juvenile Prisons.
Location:
Pennsylvania.
On June 9, 2009, attorney Robert J. Powell of Hazeltown, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty to charges related to an illegal scheme involving two for-profit juvenile facilities – PA Child Care in Luzerne County and Western PA Child Care in Butler County.
Powell was charged with one count of …
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More from this issue:
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- $395,000 Settlement in Los Angeles Jail Prisoner’s Lung Infection Death
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- $1.55 Million Awarded in Female Colorado DOC Prisoner’s Rape by Guard, by Mark Wilson
- Indiana DOC Directive Limiting Educational Credit to Only One Associate’s Degree Violates Ex Post Facto Clause, by Brandon Sample
- Texas Jail Strip Search Policy Unconstitutional, by Brandon Sample
- American Methods: Torture and the Logic of Domination, by Kristian Williams, South End Press, 279 pages, by David Preston
- Indiana Supreme Court Holds Sex Offender Registration Act Unconstitutional When Applied Retroactively
- Privatized Prison Medical Care in Mississippi Still Problematic, by David Reutter
- Texas Grand Jury Rules Jail Guards Not Negligent in Prisoner’s Death, by Gary Hunter
- Justice Reinvestment Initiative Eliminates Texas Prison Overcrowding, by Matthew Clarke
- CRIPA Investigation Finds “Woefully Inadequate” Conditions in Erie County, NY Jails; Lawsuits Filed, by Jimmy Franks
- $250,000 Awarded to Former New York Prisoner Wrongly Convicted by Falsified Evidence, by David Reutter
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- $170,000 in Settlements to Sacramento Jail Prisoner Sexually Abused by Guards
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- U.S. Senator John Ensign, Author of Ensign Amendment, Falls From Grace, by Brandon Sample
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- Revised List of ICE Detainee Deaths Still Incomplete, Updated Again, by Mark Wilson
- Colorado Officials Increasingly Rely on Lockdowns to Manage Prison Violence, by Michael Brodheim
- California’s Lethal Injection Protocol Invalidated for Failure to Comply with APA, by Michael Brodheim
- Medical Care Mismanaged at Orange County, California Jail, by Michael Brodheim
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- 1 in Every 31 Adults Under Some Form of Correctional Restraint, by David Reutter
- California Death Row Court Monitoring Discontinued, by Michael Brodheim
- PLN Sues Virginia DOC Over Censorship, Due Process Violations
- Human Rights Study Shows That Decades Later Blacks Still Incarcerated More, by Gary Hunter
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- Florida to Allow Exportation of Prisoners to Other States, by David Reutter
- Georgia Attorneys Abandoning Indigent Defendants, by David Reutter
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- Orange County Sheriff Sentenced to 5½ Years in Prison, by Gary Hunter
- Outgoing Mail Censorship Assessed Under Procunier, not Turner; Oregon Court Applies Wrong Standard
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- News in Brief:
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- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026
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- Texas State Jails Fail: Institutions Conceived as Safe Spots for Rehabilitation After Minor Drug Convictions Now Flooded With Drugs and Major Felons, March 1, 2026
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More from these topics:
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- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Jail Specific, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- Former Maine Prison Official Stole $2.4 Million Through Fraudulent Supply Orders, April 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Bribery/Extortion/Theft, Fraud and Deceit.
- ICE Taps New Contractor to Run Deadly Detention Center in Texas, April 1, 2026. Private Prisons, Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Totality of Conditions, Immigration Detention.
- Washington Appellate Court Uses Personal Restraint Petitions Mooted by Prisoners’ Transfers to Order Remedial Measures at Troubled Juvenile Lockup, March 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Staffing, Plumbing, Lockdowns, Juvenile Prisons.
- Florida Sheriff Received $50,000 Donation from Jail Medical Contractor, March 1, 2026. Naphcare, Armor Correctional Health Services, Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors.
- California Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Ripped Off Prisoner, Feb. 1, 2026. Attorney Misconduct, Court Appearances, Trials, Abuse of Discretion Standard, Access To Courts.
- Cuyahoga County Receives Over $846,000 Refund from Securus Technologies, Feb. 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Securus.
- Mass Surveillance for Profit: Flock’s AI Reports “Suspicious” Movement to Police, Dec. 15, 2025. Contractor Misconduct, Government Misconduct, Protests, Police State-Surveillance, Electronic Surveillance.
- Ninth Circuit Grants Equitable Tolling Under AEDPA Where Attorney Abandoned Prisoner by Failing to Communicate for Nine Months and Prison Officials Delayed Processing Filing Documents, Dec. 15, 2025. Attorney Misconduct, Legal Materials, Law Library Access/Adequacy, Limitations, AEDPA.

