At the top of the Capitol steps, Hillary Transue decried Pennsylvania’s system of rehabilitating juvenile offenders.
She was a victim of former judge and convicted felon Mark Ciavarella’s “cash for kids” scandal, and she was in disbelief that so little had changed since then.
“My peers, particularly those who endured Ciavarella’s legacy, harbored hope for a fairer system,” she said. “Unfortunately, 15 years later, that hope has largely faded.”
Others who had been detained when they were younger joined her last week in criticizing the system and detailed the trauma they experienced in custody.
Lawmakers from both parties and in both chambers have introduced legislation to reform the state’s system of juvenile justice. But their measures have stalled short of a floor vote.
Pennsylvania allows children to be automatically charged as adults for certain offenses. This is known as direct file