Robert May (producer)

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Robert May is an American film producer. He was a producer of The War Tapes [1] and The Station Agent , [2] an executive producer of Stevie [3] and The Fog of War , [4] and the director and a producer of Kids for Cash . [5] [6] The Fog of War won the Academy Award for Best Documentary.

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Kids for cash

In the Kids for cash scandal, judge Mark Ciavarella, who promoted a platform of zero tolerance, received kickbacks for constructing a private prison that housed juvenile offenders, and then proceeded to fill the prison by sentencing children to extended stays in juvenile detention for offenses as minimal as mocking a principal on Myspace, scuffles in hallways, trespassing in a vacant building, and shoplifting DVDs from Wal-mart. Critics of zero-tolerance policies argue that harsh punishments for minor offences are normalized.

May directed Kids for Cash , a 2013 documentary film about the "kids for cash" scandal which unfolded in 2008 over judicial kickbacks in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. May is a critic of the School-to-prison pipeline and zero tolerance law enforcement for juveniles. [7] [8] [9] [10] In the documentary, May interviews experts on adolescent behaviour, who argue that the zero tolerance model has become a dominant approach to policing juvenile offences after the Columbine shooting. [11] [12]

Critical response for Kids for Cash has been positive. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently has a 91 percent approval rating based on 32 reviews. [13]

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Mark Ciavarella

Mark Arthur Ciavarella Jr. is a convicted felon and former President Judge of the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania who was involved, along with fellow judge Michael Conahan, in the "Kids for cash" scandal in 2008.

Kids for cash scandal

The "kids for cash" scandal centered on judicial kickbacks to two judges at the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. In 2008, judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella were convicted of accepting money in return for imposing harsh adjudications on juveniles to increase occupancy at for-profit detention centers.

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PA Child Care is a juvenile detention center in Pittston Township, Pennsylvania. It was opened in February 2003. It has a sister company, Western PA Child Care, in Butler County, Pennsylvania. Treatment at both facilities is provided by Mid Atlantic Youth Services, and both were involved in the kids for cash scandal in 2008. Gregory Zappala took sole ownership of the company when he purchased co-owner Robert Powell's share in June 2008.

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<i>Kids for Cash</i> 2013 documentary film directed by Robert May

Kids for Cash is a 2013 documentary film about the "kids for cash" scandal which unfolded in 2008 over judicial kickbacks in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Two judges were found guilty of accepting kickbacks in exchange for sending thousands of juveniles to detention centers when probation or a lesser penalty would have been appropriate. Some juveniles were sent to detention centers for incidents as minor as theft of a CD from Walmart.

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References

  1. "The War Tapes (2006)". IMDB.
  2. "The Station Agent (2003)". IMDB.
  3. "Stevie (2002)". IMDB.
  4. "The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara (2003)". IMDB.
  5. "Kids for Cash". rottentomatoes.com. 7 February 2014.
  6. "Kids for Cash". IMDB. August 2015.
  7. KIDS FOR CASH Documentary with Filmmaker Robert May. The Lip TV. 2 June 2014.
  8. Ronnie Scheib (3 December 2013). "'Kids for Cash' Review: Robert May's Shocking Documentary - Variety". Variety.
  9. "Post Magazine - Director's Chair: Robert May - 'Kids for Cash'".
  10. Zachary Shevich (December 2014). "'Kids For Cash' Director Robert May Talks Moral Judgments In Documentaries Interview - Way Too Indie". Way Too Indie.
  11. "A Plot with a Scandal: A Closer Look at 'Kids for Cash' Documentary". 10 February 2014.
  12. "Kids for Cash (2014) film".
  13. "Kids for Cash". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 16 January 2014.