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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:
- Pennsylvania County Prisons Mired in Conditions Litigation, by David Reutter
- $395,000 Settlement in Los Angeles Jail Prisoner’s Lung Infection Death
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Prison Radio Beams Love, Hope and News through the Bars, by Matthew Clarke
- $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
- Former PA Lawmaker Who Took Sex Offenders into His Home Files Suit Against Zoning Board
- $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
- Former North Dakota State Psychologist Who Treated Sex Offenders Busted for Child Porn
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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
- Divided Ninth Circuit Holds Prison Officials Entitled to Qualified Immunity for Prolonged Deprivation of Outdoor Exercise
- 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
- Ohio Prison Guards Party, Federal Stimulus Funds Save Their Jobs, by David Reutter
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- Oklahoma Legislators Not Considering Closing State Prisons, Unless They Are, by Matthew T. Clarke
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- News in Brief:
More from Matthew Clarke:
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- Federal Court Places Medical Care in Arizona Prisons Under Receivership, May 1, 2026
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- Texas Moves to Restrict Cashless Bond and Reverse Federal Court-Ordered Misdemeanor Bail Reform, May 1, 2026
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026
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- Nevada Non-Profit Founder Under Investigation for Misconduct, May 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Staff-Prisoner Harassment, Contractor Misconduct, Complaints, Restrictions, discrimination.
- Guaranteed Income Helps People Leaving Jail and Prison, and That Helps Everyone, May 1, 2026. Crime/Demographics, Prisoner Privileges, housing, jobs, Restrictions, discrimination, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release, Fines.
- Mississippi DOC Retains Law Firm to Monitor VitalCore Contract, April 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Dental Care, Private Contractors, Staffing.
- 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.
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- 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.

