At issue is whether the court has been ensuring adequate representation and due process to juvenile defendants in the Marion Co. juvenile court. The Star cites a number of appellate court decisions which were highly critical of court magistrate's handling of cases where there was scant evidence of criminal wrongdoing but the court nonetheless found the defendants guilty. The Star writes:
The Marion County Superior Court is responsible for operation of the juvenile system. But for two decades, Judge James Payne was given wide latitude to run the juvenile court, the detention center and the juvenile probation agency as he saw fit. Payne even reviewed and signed off on all rulings by magistrates under his supervision.
"I'm not saying Judge Payne said 'Keep your nose out of my business.' He wasn't like that," says Presiding Judge Cale Bradford. "But he had always run -- he had always run -- juvenile court and there really hadn't been a clamoring from the Downtown courts or local government to have more involvement out in juvenile."
Judge Payne's credibility as the state's Director of Child Services in the Daniels' administration is no do doubt going to be severely undermined by these reports. How do lead the reform of a system you played such a big part in screwing up?
4 comments:
When is anyone going to take similar notice of the way Judge Boles runings things in Hendricks County Juvenile Court - if under Judge Payne they didn't practice law does Judge Boles even know there there is such a thing as rights and the constitition. Boles tells kids they have rights but then NEVER asks them if they understand their rights or even if they want to exercise them.
I sat in Judge Boles' Court yesterday and watched him swear in witnesses for the defense in a CHINS hearing. He never let the parents speak at all to defend themselves, and their children had been kidnapped by DCS!! They had photographs and evidence and witnesses, but Boles never let them speak. It was disgusting. He ordered them to provided financial records. That was all. It was clear that it is a crime to be poor in Hendricks County and if you are poor, they will take your children because it makes you unfit.
"Follow the Money Trail"
I want to know why a 45 year old female,arrested for not scanning $20 worth groceries was not released on her own recognizance. Zero criminal history, no driver's license, No Passport, Born and Raised in Indiana. $5000 bond for trying to feed her family. The police officer said she will not get ROR with Judge Boles and "wrong week to get arrested" The jail house phone operator and the local Bail Bonds company said no ROR with Judge Boles. A retired Hendricks County judge said the same thing. Like this woman can pay $500 for a bond. Who Judges the Judges and can they be sued in civil court?
I would have to say that I have seen many courts through out Indiana and it seems that Marion County Juvenile court is ran more like TV court room when Judge Moore presides. She seems more concerned with finding fault in people that are trying to help kids than she is at humbly admitting that she doesn't know everything,
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