Child abuse and corruption Luzerne County.(letters to the editor)(Letter to the editor)

Jerry Friedman has written eloquently on these pages about the Luzerne County judges' scandal--in which two judges have entered guilty pleas for taking bribes from a contractor and operator of a for-profit detention center. That scandal has led people with whom I speak around the country to ask whether it is happening elsewhere.

Ironically, while Juvenile Law Center uncovered abuses in Luzerne County, it has been the "lead entity" in Models for Change in Pennsylvania. With hundreds of other Pennsylvanians--including scores of first-rate judges, defense attorneys, prosecutors and probation officers--and with colleagues from around the country, we have worked hard to improve approaches to delinquent youth with mental health problems, to address disproportionate minority contact, and to improve re-entry for youth who are appropriately placed. This good work, to which readers should attend while also looking for Luzerne-like problems, is described at

www.modelsforchange.net.

Robert Schwartz

Executive Director

Juvenile Law Center

Philadelphia, Pa.

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