Kids for cash scandal

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/kids-for-cash-scandal

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the location of judicial corruption?Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
2. What is the key judges convicted?Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella
3. Why did judges send kids to jail for silly reasons?Judges sent kids to jail for silly reasons to make money because they were paid by the detention center to keep the facility full.
4. How did the judges make money from the scandal?The judges made money by receiving kickbacks from PA Child Care, a private detention facility, which paid them for each child they sent there.

Judicial Corruption: Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by judges, involving abuse of power for personal gain.
Adjudication of Delinquency: A formal judgment by a court that a minor has committed an offense.
Private Correctional Facility: A jail or prison owned and operated by a private company rather than the government.
Commuted Sentence: A sentence that is reduced in severity, often by a president or governor.