News

Juvenile Justice Panel Schedules Hearing in Wilkes-Barre

February 22, 2010

HARRISBURG, February 23, 2010 - The Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice which is investigating failures in the juvenile justice system in Luzerne County will hold a public hearing on Thursday, February 25, in Wilkes-Barre. Witnesses are scheduled to include juveniles whose cases were adjudicated by former Judge Mark A. Ciavarella and victims of juvenile crimes. Additional witnesses may be scheduled. The hearing will be at the Best Western East Mountain Inn at 2400 East End Blvd., Wilkes-Barre. An agenda, when complete, will be posted on the Web site of the Unified Judicial System. (See link at the bottom of this release.) TV and radio stations can pick up a live feed of the hearings transmitted to an audio/video mult box from pool cameras provided by PCN. Still photography of the hearings is permitted without the use of a flash. The Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice is conducting a noncriminal investigation into the circumstances that led to failures in the juvenile justice system in Luzerne County. Its purpose is to determine the causes of the failures, to restore public confidence in the administration of justice and to make recommendations to prevent a recurrence of a similar situation in Luzerne County or elsewhere. The commission is required to file a final report to the governor, the legislature and the Supreme Court by May 31. Superior Court Judge John M. Cleland, chairman of the commission, will be available to the media to answer questions during breaks and at the conclusion of Thursday's hearing. Transcripts of the commission's prior public hearings and other information about the commission are available at: http://www.pacourts.us/Links/Public/InterbranchCommissionJuvenileJustice.htm