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From 2003 to 2008, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, more than half of the thousands of children who appeared before ex-juvenile court judge Mark Ciavarella were asked two questions before they even entered the courtroom: "Do you have a lawyer?" and, if the answer was no, "Can you sign this form?" The form stated that the child understood she was waiving the right to an attorney and would be representing herself in the courtroom.

On February 10, 2014, Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas Judge David R. Workman joined fellow judges in Monroe and York counties in finding that Pennsylvania's Act 111, the Sex Offender Registration Notification Act ("SORNA"), is unconstitutional. The law requires children who are 14 and older and who are convicted of certain sexual offenses to register for life as sex offenders and be subject to onerous reporting requirements.

This important ruling marks another major victory for kids.

On January 26, 2009, the United States Attorney shocked the world by announcing his intent to file criminal charges against two judges in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania for their involvement in our nation's most appalling judicial scandal, known as "kids for cash."

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKrOXdCEF5A]

"Riveting! A real-life thriller." - The Hollywood Reporter
"Deeply shocking and continually surprising." - Variety
"A gut-punch of a documentary." - Philadelphia magazine

"Kids

"Kids for Cash," produced and directed by Robert May (who also produced the Oscar-winning film "Fog of War"), has been called "Riveting! A real-life thriller" by the Hollywood Reporter. The film reveals the true story behind the notorious "kids-for-cash" case in Luzerne County, PA, which Juvenile Law Center uncovered in 2007.

“Since I moved around from school district to school district so often, tracking down all of the paperwork was a huge problem. No one knew when I was graduating … if I had known, I could have applied to college.” — from Casey Family Programs' publication "A Roadmap for Learning"

This quote from a former foster youth is an all-too-common example of the obstacles that these kids face—more than 400,000 youth nationwide, in any given year—in achieving school success.

Imagine being locked in a seven by seven foot cell, with your only window to the world looking out at a brick wall.

You are alone; you have no pen or paper, no books, no audio or visual stimulation. You are often denied clothing or you are provided a 'ferguson gown'—a Velcro-strapped garment that severely restricts your physical movement.

You are occasionally denied sheets or blankets or even a mattress so you won't harm yourself.You are rarely let out of your cell, spending 23 or 24 hours a day there, your only respite a shower. You are denied mental health treatment because you are in isolation, but you cannot be released from isolation until you learn how to better manage your behavior. The drudgery and despair of this monotonous and maddening existence continues almost uninterrupted for nearly seven months.

Imagine you’re only sixteen years old.

For the second time in the last three months, a Pennsylvania judge has ruled that Pennsylvania’s juvenile sex offender registration requirements are unconstitutional. On January 16, 2014, Monroe County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Margherita Patti-Worthington ruled that Pennsylvania's law requiring juveniles convicted of sexual offenses be subjected to lifetime sex offender registration violates their rights under the Pennsylvania Constitution.

The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW) has opened for comment its draft application to the federal government regarding the operation of the Medicaid program in Pennsylvania. This application, entitled "Healthy Pennsylvania," includes a plan to impose work requirements and health insurance premiums on individuals between the ages of 21 and 26 who are newly eligible for Medicaid by virtue of their status as youth who have aged out of foster care.

In an important ruling earlier this month, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania held that the Commonwealth could not use a youth’s statements to therapists in court-ordered placement to prosecute the youth on new charges.