Crimes for which there is no appropriate punishment

I was shocked when I first heard about this, and I'm still shocked by the story now that they've gotten a guilty plea. Apparently two judges in Pennsylvania were paid to send youthful offenders to several private youth detention centers in order to keep their populations full, so the centers would collect more money.

They sent children to jail for profit! The judges have pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion, but charges related to actually sending the kids to juvenile detention were deemed too complicated to prosecute, and hence were left out of the guilty plea. The consequences for the judges will be harsh-- 87 months in jail (though I think on the Paris Hilton model, they're only going to serve half of that), and they lose their pensions because they are now felons.

The punishment is not harsh enough by a long shot. They have made a mockery of juvenile justice, in order to net them a bigger home, a sleeker car, a bigger TV. They've scarred some kids-- a lot of them-- for the rest of their lives. Over several years, five thousand kids went from their courtrooms to lockup, many for their first offense. Some are still there. And nothing has been done to the owners of the private detention centers who actually arranged the deals, and paid the money. The definition of a pedophile is someone who preys on children for their own gain. These men are pedophiles, and worse, because they did so from a position of public trust and responsibility. And they did it in public, in front of lawyers and police and other judges! Despicable! Contemptible! They should be turned loose naked in a room with just the parents of the teenagers they locked up, and if they survive that, then they should be forced to answer to the teens themselves.

And in case they're forgotten in the shocking revelations, the businesses which enabled them are no less craven and low. It's time for a gut check, America. Do we really want the welfare of our children to be in the hands of a detention system run by private businesses for profit? I'm furious and I want more heads to roll. Those judges spoke with and interacted with real humans to arrange their deal. High level decisions were made, payments were processed and approved and checks were cut and funds were transferred. Several million dollars in payments to two judges showed up on the companies' books. Boards of Directors knew about them, or should have. Those people must all be brought to justice, or our justice system is a sham. These are perpetrators of crimes against children, even though they wear suits to work.

These people hurt children and ruined lives. They must be brought to justice.