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<v Speaker 1>In the early two thousands, residents of northeastern Pennsylvania started

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<v Speaker 1>to notice an alarming trend. Children were being sent away

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<v Speaker 1>to jail in high numbers and for crime so mild

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<v Speaker 1>they might normally result in a grounding. The FBI began

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<v Speaker 1>looking at two local judges on the heels of an

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<v Speaker 1>investigation into the mafia, and when the full picture emerged,

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<v Speaker 1>it made national headlines. American Scandal is a podcast from

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<v Speaker 1>Wondery that takes you deep into the most infamous scandals

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<v Speaker 1>in American history, from presidential lies to environmental disasters and

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<v Speaker 1>corporate fraud. Their new season takes you to the criminal

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<v Speaker 1>kickback scheme dubbed Kids for Cash, that would shatter the

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<v Speaker 1>lives of countless children and force a heated debate about punishment.

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<v Speaker 1>In America's criminal justice system, judges take a sacred oath

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<v Speaker 1>to uphold the law. Their considered the stewards of morality

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<v Speaker 1>and fairness, and are entrusted to find justice. But for

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<v Speaker 1>the community in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, their belief in the

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<v Speaker 1>justice system was shattered in one of the biggest judicial

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<v Speaker 1>corruption cases in modern history. You're about to hear a

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<v Speaker 1>preview of American Scandal while you're listening follow American Scandal.

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<v Speaker 1>Wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen ad free

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<v Speaker 1>on Amazon Music or the Wondery app.

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<v Speaker 2>Wondering. It's January thirtieth, two thousand and seven in northeast Pennsylvania.

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<v Speaker 2>In a hallway outside a juvenile courtroom, Jessica Vanreath is

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<v Speaker 2>pacing anxiously, clutching a small piece of paper. County Courthouse

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<v Speaker 2>is full of teenagers and their parents, all waiting for

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<v Speaker 2>their turn in front of a judge. Some of the

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<v Speaker 2>kids are engaged in heated arguments with their parents, while

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<v Speaker 2>others are sitting on benches, completely silent and looking terrified.

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<v Speaker 2>But if there's one thing all these families have in common,

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<v Speaker 2>it's that no one seems happy to be here. It's

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<v Speaker 2>a feeling Jessica Vanreeth can relate to. Vanreith is sixteen

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<v Speaker 2>years old and a junior at a nearby public high school.

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<v Speaker 2>She has a reputation for being confident and outspoken, the

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<v Speaker 2>kind of teenager who isn't afraid to speak her mind,

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<v Speaker 2>wear what she wants to, or argue with people about politics.

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<v Speaker 2>Vanreith knows she can sometimes come off as a bit sharp,

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<v Speaker 2>but that's only a small part of who she really is.

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<v Speaker 2>Vnreith is a good student with a solid GPA, and

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<v Speaker 2>on top of all the academics, she's held a part

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<v Speaker 2>time job for the last two years, working as a

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<v Speaker 2>waitress at a local Italian place. All in all, Vanreith

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<v Speaker 2>sees herself as a pretty normal teenager, which is why

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<v Speaker 2>this whole experience has been so stupefying. In a few minutes,

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<v Speaker 2>Vanreith has to defend herself against criminal charges. It all

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<v Speaker 2>started a few months ago when she was caught by

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<v Speaker 2>her vice principal holding a lighter and a pipe used

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<v Speaker 2>to smoke weed. When the vice principal caught her, Vanreith

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<v Speaker 2>didn't know what to say. The pipe and lighter belonged

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<v Speaker 2>to her friend, but she didn't want to get them

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<v Speaker 2>in trouble, so Vanreith took the blame. But she didn't

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<v Speaker 2>just get a slap on the wrist. She was charged

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<v Speaker 2>with a crime and now she has to appear in

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<v Speaker 2>juvenile court in front of Judge Mark Shivrella, known for

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<v Speaker 2>his policy of zero tolerance and with a reputation for

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<v Speaker 2>sending kids away from minor offenses. But Vanreith jotted down

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<v Speaker 2>what she believes are some good arguments, and she's hoping

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<v Speaker 2>she can make a strong appeal to the judge and

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<v Speaker 2>get him to show some leniency. Vanreith continues pacing the

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<v Speaker 2>hallway outside the courtroom when her father, Jack comes up

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<v Speaker 2>and lays a hand on her shoulder. You doing okay, honey, Yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm just scared. I didn't do anything bad. But doesn't

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<v Speaker 2>mean the judge is going to see that now, Jessica,

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<v Speaker 2>he'll do the right thing. Yeah, he'll see it. I promise, dad.

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<v Speaker 2>You don't know that. No, I do know that. Remember

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<v Speaker 2>I talked to the people in the probation department and

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<v Speaker 2>they laid out the worst case scenario, which is that

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<v Speaker 2>you get probation right. Nothing to be scared of here.

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<v Speaker 2>But what if they were wrong. I don't even have

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<v Speaker 2>a lawyer. We should have gotten one, Jessica. We went

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<v Speaker 2>over this. The probation officers said you didn't need an attorney.

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<v Speaker 1>You're gonna be.

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<v Speaker 2>Fine, and that's us. Come on, Honny, let's get it

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<v Speaker 2>over with. Then we'll get out of here and put

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<v Speaker 2>it all behind us. Benreith nods, and she and her

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<v Speaker 2>dad step into the courtroom, where they find Judge Severella

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<v Speaker 2>sitting at his bench. Chevrella is in his mid fifties

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<v Speaker 2>and sits peering down at Vinreath with a look of contempt.

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<v Speaker 2>He tosses aside his paperwork, and a moment later the

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<v Speaker 2>hearing gets underway. This is van Reith. You stand accused

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<v Speaker 2>of possession of drug paraphernalia. How do you plead to

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<v Speaker 2>these charges? Van Wreith takes out her folded piece of

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<v Speaker 2>paper and glances down at her notes. She's been getting

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<v Speaker 2>ready for this moment for days. She's standing in front

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<v Speaker 2>of the judge. She suddenly feels frozen. I'm a come on,

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<v Speaker 2>speak up. I can't hear you. I'm sorry, Fanreith to

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<v Speaker 2>the charges of possession of drug paraphernalia guilty or not guilty? Guilty?

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<v Speaker 2>I see, and you were there when I spoke at

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<v Speaker 2>Crestwood High School. Vanreith doesn't admit that she made a

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<v Speaker 2>point of missing Chivarella's appearances when he came to her

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<v Speaker 2>high school. Instead, she just shakes her head. No, sir,

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<v Speaker 2>I wasn't at school those days. Did your friends attend

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<v Speaker 2>the assemblies?

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<v Speaker 1>Yes?

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<v Speaker 2>And did they tell you what I said? Yes? But

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<v Speaker 2>what did I say? Would happen if you had drugged

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<v Speaker 2>in school. You said you would send us away. That's right,

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<v Speaker 2>and that's what I'm going to do now. The hearing

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<v Speaker 2>hasn't lasted more than ninety seconds, but Chivarella hands down

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<v Speaker 2>a severe judgment, ordering Vanreith into juvenile detention. Benreith wants

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<v Speaker 2>to plead with the judge to get him to reconsider,

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<v Speaker 2>but Chivarella moves fast and tells the sheriff to place

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<v Speaker 2>her in handcuffs. Van Wreith starts to panic, looking over

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<v Speaker 2>at her father, hoping he can somehow intervene, but her

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<v Speaker 2>dad looks just as stunned and confused as she is.

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<v Speaker 2>A moment later, Vanreath has led out of the courtroom,

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<v Speaker 2>feeling dizzy and speechless. She doesn't know how this could

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<v Speaker 2>have happened, how a judge could be so unfair. He

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<v Speaker 2>didn't even seem interested in her side of the story.

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<v Speaker 2>Jessica Vanreith is only a teenager and doesn't know a

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<v Speaker 2>lot about courts or judges, but one thing was obvious.

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<v Speaker 2>It appeared his only goal was to send her to

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<v Speaker 2>jail and then move on to the next kid.