Jury Foreperson Advocates for Clemency in High-Profile Indiana Murder Case

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — After serving more than three decades behind bars for a crime he claims he didn’t commit, Kofi Modibo Ajabu’s chances at freedom seemed bleak. The former college student was handed a staggering 240-year sentence for his involvement in the 1994 deaths of two Indiana teenagers and their friend during an alleged robbery gone wrong. Recently, however, a surprising advocate emerged: the jury foreperson who played a role in convicting him. Orvan Mabie Jr., now 76, penned a letter to Ajabu expressing a change of heart nearly three decades after the trial. This … Read more

Man Facing Death Penalty Seeks Clemency Under New Biden Legislation

Washington (AP) — When President Joe Biden served as a Senator, he played a pivotal role in passing legislation that has led to numerous death sentences over the years. One of the individuals sentenced under this law, Isaac Watkins (name changed for privacy), is now seeking clemency from the president, hoping for mercy in a case that casts a spotlight on the weighty moral and judicial responsibilities of the presidential office. Enacted during a peak era of anti-crime legislation, the law intended to deter severe felonies through stringent penalties, including the death penalty for particularly … Read more

Scranton Sign Controversy Follows Clemency for ‘Kids for Cash’ Judge

Scranton, Pennsylvania is in the middle of a contentious debate over the proposal to name a street after Mark Ciavarella, a disgraced former Luzerne County judge involved in a shocking judicial scandal. The controversy centers on Ciavarella’s recent clemency, which has revived bitter memories about a case nationally known as “Kids for Cash.” In the “Kids for Cash” scandal, Ciavarella and another judge, Michael Conahan, were accused of receiving millions of dollars in kickbacks from the developers of private juvenile detention centers. In return, they were found to have handed down harsh sentences to children … Read more

Outrage Erupts After Former Judge in Kids-for-Cash Scandal Receives Presidential Clemency

WASHINGTON — A decision by President Joe Biden to grant clemency to a former Pennsylvania judge involved in the infamous kids-for-cash scandal has sparked significant outrage among victims and their families. Michael Conahan, who was sentenced in 2011 for accepting illegal payments to send thousands of children to juvenile detention centers, was among roughly 1,500 individuals whose sentences were commuted last Thursday by the Biden administration. Conahan, along with fellow judge Mark Ciavarella, was implicated in a scheme that resulted in $2.8 million in kickbacks for sending more than 2,300 children to detention facilities, some … Read more