News

February 25, 2010

Baker pushing for juvie reforms

At national meeting in D.C., Pa. senator details efforts to reform juvenile court.

By Bill O'Boyle boboyle@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer
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State Sen. Lisa Baker said she will see to it the report of the Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice does not end up on a shelf collecting dust.

“When you create a commission like that, a lot of times reports are filed away,” Baker said. “My intent is to work with the commission and adopt and fulfill the recommendations that are made.”

Baker, R-Lehman Township, recently detailed Pennsylvania’s efforts to reform the juvenile justice system for a national gathering in Washington, D.C., and she didn’t pull any punches.

Last Thursday, Baker addressed the U. S. Department of Justice’s National Symposium on Indigent Defense that brought together state and federal public defenders and prosecutors, judges, policymakers, and other criminal justice practitioners to develop ways to enhance indigent defense services.

“The bodies fielding complaints were not at all diligent in acting as they should,” Baker said in her speech. “When a sporting event gets out of control, the officials are said to have swallowed their whistles. Lots of whistles were swallowed in regard to Luzerne County.”

Robert Listenbee, chief of the juvenile unit of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, recommended Baker to the symposium.

Listenbee said those involved in the indigent defense movement are “craving for information about Luzerne County.” He said they want to know “all the facts” because people in every state are trying to figure out if the same problems that plagued Luzerne County are happening in their jurisdictions.

Baker said she accepted the invitation because she feels it’s important to “lay out what the issues have been” and, as a public official, she wanted to share her concerns.

“A couple of domineering judges were granted too much deference by too many people,” Baker said. “Intimidation works all too well if no one sees anyone else with the courage to speak out.”

Baker said the oversight and complaint systems malfunctioned. She said individuals who saw “out-of-whack stats showing something was seriously amiss either said nothing or were too easily discouraged from pursuing complaints.”

Baker told the audience, “To our immense horror and embarrassment, Luzerne County has been revealed as a pit of pervasive corruption. Where the juvenile justice system turned into the place where ethics perished; where thousands of kids, often without counsel, were railroaded into detention for cash.”

Baker said early in 2009, Luzerne County’s nightmare became a national disgrace.

“The television show ‘20/20’ aired a special report that was chilling on several counts: kids still in shock over how their lives were disrupted; parents still anguishing over their inability to protect their kids; and a judge still contemptibly arrogant over his violations of the Constitution, the oath of office, and every precept of justice,” Baker said.

Baker said countless stories and statistics can depict what took place, but a few well-chosen words capture the situation.

“Senior Judge Arthur Grim, charged by the state Supreme Court with reviewing the thousands of tainted cases, said, ‘What happened in Luzerne County was pure evil.’ How can a juvenile justice system, with such a sterling reputation, filled with top-notch talent and good-hearted people, suffer such a sickening breakdown?”

Bill O’Boyle, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7218.

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