Missouri Sees Teen Offenders as Kids, Not Inmates

[gloria]

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At the Northwest Regional Youth Center in Kansas City, Mo., a science class is under way with students eagerly discussing botany and roots.

The scene resembles a science classroom at any urban public high school except for the thick screens on the windows.

A tall chain-link fence surrounds the building, but inside there are few signs that these 10 teenagers are confined. They wear regular clothes and the teachers and staff are dressed casually.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15784264

http://news.change.org/stories/missouris-miracle-is-a-model-for-juvenile-justice-reform

[Bryan]

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I agree that Missouri is showing the "model" system to help troubled youth. In the end a few states like Florida and California and Pennsylvania will have to be forced to change their prison-like system. With the recent "kids for case" scandal in Pennsylvania, we see that they have far to go.

As far as that you posted about that kid from Pennsylvania caught up in that scandal after being framed for arson. I read a heartbreaking article from 2009 where the mother and grandmother of the boy suffered heartbreak after heartbreak trying to free their boy, still suffering thanks to the child stealers. If the article is right the cretins that took that kid shipped him to Texas of all places. Even set him up for another crime to take the fall for. I wonder. Was the kid as of 2011, ever set free? Has the system failed him still? I got to know what happened to that kid. We all do.

[gloria]

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Can you post that article? The truth is that I would like to know what happened to that boy too. this is the case you are talking about right?

http://www.google.es/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=7%20year%20old%20charged%20with%20arson%20penssilvania&source=web&cd=7&ved=0CFsQFjAG&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftruthinjustice.org%2Ftricked-boy.htm&ei=7ZWgTp7vMofA8QOYs93RBQ&usg=AFQjCNFOpaH6Daq_AT8vGdLPAXxZv1jJTw   

[Bryan]

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Do a simple search on Lazerne County arson cases.  I could right now, but I am tied up on my new toy right now. I guess his case one of thousands involving Ciavella that were thrown out. I guess his mom was able to get him back, assuming that the kid was indeed innocent of the fire. That is someone at the juvenile division had the balls to stand up to the cretins that put him in those unjustifiable facilities and framed him for an old man's foolish act. If they continue to withhold him from his family  than better await seeing them in civil court. 

BTW the name of kid is Eddie Palick. Did not muchthan an old Times-Leader article about his family and their struggle to get him from the state's vile clutches. Since no further articles were published since the discarding of the 1000's of cases  that  judgew was involved with that the boy was indeed freed from wherever they sent him to . I guess he was sent out of state,which a clear violation of his civil rights. This case is a cut 6 figure of his civil rights were clearly  violated. I just hope he got home. The poor kid is the same age as Jordan.
       

[Bryan]

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http://www.timesleader.com/news/Juvenile_arsonist_or_victim__04-19-2009.html

As I said, I have heard of nothing or read nothing further about this case. I assumed that they boy was released to his family when they finally found some psychiatrist who would fairly evalulate the child. Then when Mark Ciavella and company were busted in the "kids for cash" scandal, almost all of his cases were overturned en masse and in the case of Eddie, the investigator had the balls to stand up to the cretins that allowed this boy to suffer at the hands of others, even shipping this child out of state far away from his family. This was a clear violation of the kid's civil rights. No state should be allow ever to ship kids out of state like that. I hope to God almighty that the family join the others wronged by that county in suing the living daylights out of these criminals with a capital C. They should suffer the same financial ruin that the families had to suffer because they were all poor, some minorities, many innocent of the crime.

If he remains in the clutches of the state, God help them that they not rot in hell for what they are doing. Shame on you Pennsylvania. Shame on you.

[gloria]

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OMG!!!!! Bryan, this is really appalling. Damn Bastards. What a despicable way to destroy the life of a little child. 

[Bryan]

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Did  I say it wrong? I also said the scandal there obviously reunited mother and son, since there has been not a peep on this boy since 2009. I assumed that after all the things that happened to him, the boy and his family did not want any more publicity. The community had put through so much unjustifiable strife that announcing their victory would cause the public of Sugar Notch to go after them again. Their neighborhood still does not believe that the fire was accidental. Also, the neighbor who bore false witness against him still lives in town. This person still poses a threat to the boy and would try to get him in trouble with the law if he or she could. Also, they may be a party to the huge class-action lawsuit, which is far from over. One of the last defendants is yet to be sentenced in the criminal case.

It is my conclusion the boy is free and his family's custody, Gloria. There should more concern for Jordan now. We must make sure that he is free and that the world knows.

[gloria]

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Hope he is on his family custody and doing fine. Thanks for telling Bryan 

PS: I can feel concerned for others kids and still continuing fighting for jordan's realise Bryan, Both ways are not incompatible. There are many kids who needs our concern and help.

[Bryan]

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This is my expansion of my thoughts of why I can correctly assume that Eddie was set free by the Commonwealth.

1. Shortly after the Times-Leader piece was published in 2009, the "Kids for Cash" scandal news broke out.

2. Thousands of cases were thrown out by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. There were some exceptions, but Eddie's case was not one of them.

3. Even if it was an exception, whoever reviewed the case was either different than the original investigators or had a attitude adjustment after the scandal broke. They discounted the arson cause and believed for once that the fire that killed the old man was set accidentially by the victim. They doubted the eyewitness account for once.

4. Since the charges were dismissed, the air was taken out of the reasons to hold the boy any longer. The family finally found a shrink who fully examined the boy and ordered his immediate release.

5. The family heard from other families at the time they got the boy out of that Texas psycho ward who banded together over the years thanks to the corruption of the judges. One of the lawyers filing the case convinced Eddie's family to join the class-action lawsuit. One of the conditions of joining was that they not tell the press about the boy being set free for fear of poinsoning any potential jury that would have to meet to decide the case.

6. Another reason no public admission of mistake over boy in prison all these years was a general fear built up since the arrest of the boy in 2004 that the state would take the boy away again if they talk to the media. But my money is a confedentiality agreement was signed by the the boy's mother and grandmother with the legal team behind the class-action lawsuit, who think their case might tip a jury to find the defendents liable for major cash penalties.

7. Finally, I also think they knew the person who turned them in but if they would expose them, it would have to wait until the trial to get underway. My thinking is that this class-action will go to trial without any settlement beforehand. The defendents will fight this, thinking they might win, but the evidence is clear and they will indeed lose this case big time. By that time, the boy's story will be known. Not until then will it be ever be known.