Title DossierDocumentary

Kids for Cash

DocumentaryCrimeDrama

A judge's stance on juvenile crime in a small town gains praise, until suspicions arise about his motives. Scandal unfolds, lives are shattered and a secret comes to light, exposing corruption at the highest levels of the justice system.

Year

2015

Duration

1h 42m

IMDb

7.1

Poster Feed

Cast

Robert May

Director

CB

Charlie Balasavage

Self

JB

Joanne Balasavage

Self - Charlie Balasavage's Mother

Cast

Robert May

Director

CB

Charlie Balasavage

Self

JB

Joanne Balasavage

Self - Charlie Balasavage's Mother

JB

Justin Bodnar

Self

LG

Lisa Griffiths

Self - Justin Bodnar's Mother

SF

Sandy Fonzo

Self - Edward Kenzakoski's Mother

AL

Amanda Lorah

Self

TL

Terry Lorah

Self - Amanda Lorah's Father

TM

Terrie Morgan-Besecker

Self - Journalist, The Times Leader

HT

Hillary Transue

Self

LT

Laurene Transue

Self - Hillary Transue's Mother

ML

Marsha Levick

Self - Deputy Director and Chief Counsel of Juvenile Law Center

RG

Robert G. Schwartz

Self - Executive Director, Juvenile Law Center

Mark Arthur Ciavarella

Self - Convicted Former Judge

Michael Conahan

Self - Convicted Former Judge

SC

Steve Corbett

Self - Radio Host, WILK-FM

BG

Basil G. Russin

Self - Chief Public Defender, Luzerne County

JT

Jeffrey T. Namey

Self - Superintendent, Wilkes-Barre Area School District

Jim Avila

Self - Television Journalist, ABC News

Robert May

Writer

Trailer

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Comments

10 Comments

abhikumarMar 19, 2026

KiDimusicMay 29, 2023

source: Kids for Cash

Tayo OduekeMay 23, 2023

Great documentary about the Kids for Cash scandal. Just shows us how corrupt everyone really is in this world.

Joeboy May 23, 2023

The documentary centers around the kick back money recieved by two judges, illegally, from a complex funding operation for building a juvenile prison. The juvenile court judge states he wanted to build a prison that was sanitary. So he utilized his own resources, from a beer company to a strip club, which he has business ties, and privately funds building the jail. The same jail he will be sentencing the juveniles to. But that's not even close to the real dilemma. This all takes place post Columbine, so a ZERO tolerance is placed. Zero tolerance meaning they are going to weed out the trouble makers by any means necessary. Here are some examples of ZERO TOLERANCE: A juvenile purchases a scooter for $250. The police finds out the scooter was originally stolen. He is sentenced to five years in prison. A girl gets in a fight in school and is sentenced the same. A juvenile gets in an argument with a parent at a bus stop. As the parent is cursing and shouting its the boy who gets sentenced to 4 years of prison. All three of those kids sentenced without a lawyer. These are 15 year olds who will not experience growing up outside of prison walls. The sentencing is beyond harsh. This is closer to paranoia. This is how you ruin a person's life, demoralize them and permanently damage their souls. The central focus is not the money. The documentary reveals trails of unjust sentencing and their ramifications show a complete lack of understanding of children. At 1 hr 18 min, there is an unforgettable scene when a parent confronts the judge about her sons suicide after his sentencing. This documentary is powerful. It reveals a problem no one is talking about. If not for a group of advocates, the unjust sentencing will continue. The system will continue to silence these children as they are sentenced to grow up in the isolation of cold concrete walls of prisons.

Ada SALIOU May 23, 2023

In the past 20 years or so, documentary films seem to have become as much about the films' directors as they are about their subjects (Michael Moore, Nick Broomfield, et al.). This absolutely compelling film feels almost nostalgic in its straight-ahead, no-frills documentary film style. When this scandal finally reached its resolution in 2011, I very much hoped that a skilled documentary filmmaker would dig into this awful story to reveal how this absolute desecration of the American judicial system was allowed to happen. And that is just what director, Robert May, has given us, with his marvelously incisive--yet amazingly impartial--feature- length documentary, "Kids For Cash". The most amazing thing of all, May was somehow granted what seemed to be fairly unlimited access to both of the disgraces jurists, Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella-- in addition to the victims and their families. I'm almost ashamed to admit, I actually started feeling pity for Ciavarella--and found myself sort of "buying" his "Poor me" act! But by the end of the film, it becomes quite clear that both men are pathological liars and/or are so completely deluded, they really DON'T believe they've done anything wrong (though that is highly, highly unlikely). More than that, it shows the human wreckage that can be wrought by just a few corrupt opportunists, with zero compassion or care for the hundreds of lives they ruin, for their own enrichment. The film has a "happy ending" for those who appreciate justice. And I can only wish that these tormented victims, whose youth was robbed from them, can find peace in knowing that these monsters will likely only leave their prison, feet-first, in a pine box. To Charlie, Justin, Hillary, Amanda--and the late Ed-- and the countless hundreds of other Pennsylvania youths whose young lives were shattered by these sociopathic monsters, God bless you all, and I hope you know that you can overcome this awful chapter. Those bastards lives are over-- and now, it's time for yours to begin! Brilliant film--a total TEN.

Hussain OmranMay 23, 2023

having just watched this doc i am left feeling that it could have been more complete. As others have pointed out - no mention of the Prison/Detention Centre for profit angle, which caused the issue in the first place. No mention on what happened to the owner of the facility who paid them the 'finder's fee'. I guess that would have probably dragged the running time too long, and the topic has been covered elsewhere already (most notably in my opinion in the excellent "The house i live in"). But still a couple of minutes to explain the root cause (apart from greed) would have helped. Also - no real scientific explanation on the reason why kids should not be treated as adults to begin with. And no explanation why the USA did not sign the UN Charter? Having said that - it tried to be a well balanced piece - but the most serious flaw to me was the failure to mention the yacht and luxury condos the 2 judges bought with the money. And how they channeled the funds through various accounts and companies so that it would be well hidden. I had to dig this bit of information up myself after viewing the doc. This would negate the small part of me that actually still had some sympathy for judge Ciavarella after his tearful passage at the end of the documentary. He did not just 'pay some debts and provide for his kids'. Plain greed.

143saliMay 23, 2023

Kids for Cash is a documentary that shows the horrific miss sentencing of several young American kids as a ploy for the judges receiving cash in hand by sending these kids to private detention centres. Throughout the documentary you can't help but feel for these kids who have had upwards of seven years of their life thrown away due to greed and selfishness of the authority figures. Though the documentary travels on both sides of the fence (between the judges fault and not the judges fault) the bulk of the film views the head judge as this overly conservative man who has only his own interests in hand. One great documentary and never gets boring. Though the documentary will polarise views of the situation, anyone who is interested in this case will be glad they had watched this gem.

EscuderoMay 23, 2023

This gripping and mind blowing documentary is one of the most powerful films I've seen in a long time. I have to admit I was so infuriated by this film that I found my stomach roiling and my blood pressure rising throughout. It mainly focuses on 2 Luzerne County, Pa. Juvenile Court Judges, Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan, with more emphasis on Ciavarella. He ran for office initially on an anti-crime platform, and from what the movie describes once in office ran what seemed like a "kangaroo court", with juvenile cases before him sometimes lasting less than 2 minutes before sending them off to detention centers. Once this occurred the parents of these teens would lose their parental rights immediately, and the county or state would become their legal guardians. Apparently, there were deceptive tactics used where many parents were intimidated or deceived into signing waivers of attorney before entering Judge Ciavarella's courtroom. Some of these juveniles would end up spending years in detention centers for minor offenses, as a result leading to severe if not tragic consequences for all concerned. Ciavarella dished out these judgments, per the film, in a most arbitrary and dictatorial manner, but as it turns out he comes across as being the ultimate hypocrite, fully in denial. You see he was receiving money from the very detention centers he was ending these teens to, amounting to millions of dollars, plus not declaring this money on ethics or income tax filings. Later, Ciavarella along with Conahan accepted millions more dollars for what they described as a 'finder's fee" for helping to get the funding and construction for a new Juvenile Detention Center, and, of course, not declaring that money either. Here's a judge asking the head of the construction company offering the fee--"Is this legal"--give me a break! You just shake your head in disbelief! I won't go into more details here, as I don't want this review to be too lengthy, but let's just say justice was eventually served regarding these two judges. The outburst of a distraught mother on the steps of the courthouse was one of the most electrifying and heart-rending scenes I've seen on screen in a long time. In summary, I thought this documentary, directed by Robert May, tried to present as fair a picture as possible regarding all these events. Also, it tried to point out the horrible systemic failures of these problems in our country, whereas the leadership to tackle the juvenile justice system seems sorely lacking. Finally, I thought the movie was very well researched and edited, and came across as a gripping piece of cinema.

maymayMay 23, 2023

Take a good look at this film and be prepared to be shocked and angry. Very shocked and very angry, that is, if you believe in decency and justice. It's an intimate look at two judges who took bribes to send children to jail, often for non-existent crimes or for petty, relatively insignificant things kids do because they're kids. Some of these children committed suicide, the rest all had their lives ruined. And the sick punchline? The crooked judges don't see what they did as wrong but rather just "administrative decisions". Sure, the judges went to jail but I'm sure they just see that as an "administrative decision" as well. Look at them closely. They're faces of the banality of evil. Much like the Nazis operating the death camps during WWII, they justify their actions as merely methods of the time. One of the criminals portrayed, the pompously righteous Judge Ciavarella pretended to be a "law and order" judge when in fact he was a greedy sociopath, not much different than the death camp dentists who ripped the gold teeth from Jews for joyful profit. But whatever you do, don't see this as an isolated incident that has been taken care of. It still exists today. Most Americans are oblivious to the Prisons for Profit system, the same system that was giving huge kickbacks to these judges to incarcerate children for greed. The real sick thing about this documentary? The Prisons for Profit not only still exist, they're bigger than ever. And the terrible punchline to this story? You likely won't ever hear about judges being arrested for getting kickbacks for sentencing children to jail anymore. Now they can legally own stock and have other financial interests in this Prisons for Profit system that is flourishing. The same prisons they sentence "offenders" to serve long, profitable sentences. The fastest growth industry in the last 30 years in America. And most Americans are still oblivious to it. Your legal system has been sold, America and the blood, sweat, tears, and lives of your children and others who shouldn't be jailed will continue to line the pockets of evil people like these two judges who only saw children as a way to make money, caring not for their ruined - and ended - lives. Watch this and get angry, very angry. And start talking about the evil that is destroying what used to be a somewhat fair legal system. That is, if you care at all about justice and decency. And your country. And your fellow men, women and children.

Carla BastosMay 23, 2023

I concur with the Judge on this. Not guilty of cash for kids. It appears from this documentary that there were no ongoing payments for keeping the facilities full. The Judge had a reputation of sending juveniles down (prior to the decision to close the original facility). Guilty of bribery and corruption yes. Guilty of robbing the juveniles of their right to representation, but that was not on the charge sheet. The judge does describe an incident in his youth where he said his father clobbered him for attempting to steal a car. Would you rather get punched in the mouth or be sent to lock-up? That is what I would like to ask that creep. The problem lies with the system. Two million children arrested each year; 95% are for non violent crimes. This reflects the adult prison population in the USA which has the highest rate of incarceration in the world and more prisoners than the rest of the world combined. Many of these prisons are privately owned slave plantations. The justice system is corrupted by prison for profit. The parole system ensures a rapid recycling of ex cons back into the system and more profits for prison owners (like Bill Gates) The USA is a corrupted violent society. It's collapse is imminent. The facts at the end of the documentary are a sad indictment of the US and it's propensity to violence