Pa. Courts Say They've Made Improvements To Juvenile Justice System

HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) — A new report says Pennsylvania's juvenile courts have made dozens of rule changes in response to an internal review prompted by a court scandal in Luzerne County.

Chief Justice Ronald Castille produced the eight-page report Monday at the Juvenile Justice Academy in Hershey.

The courts discourage using restraints on juveniles in courtrooms, require lawyers to be present during proceedings, speed up appeals when the sentence includes removal from the juvenile's home and mandate tougher ethical rules for prosecutors.

The Luzerne County scandal, which resulted in the criminal convictions against two judges, led to the expungement of criminal arrest records of 2,400 people.

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