SCRANTON, Pa. — Governor Josh Shapiro expressed his disappointment in President Joe Biden's decision to commute former Judge Michael Conahan's sentence Friday afternoon in Scranton.
Conahan was one of the 1,500 people whose sentences were commuted by President Joe Biden as part of his executive clemency announced on Thursday. Conahan, along with former judge Mark Ciavarella, were involved in a scheme where juveniles were sent to for-profit detention centers in exchange for kickbacks.
Conahan pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 17 years in prison in 2010. He would have been scheduled to end his sentence in August 2026.
Shapiro noted that while governors and presidents have the unique power to grant pardons, clemency, and commute sentences, these powers should be used carefully.
"I study every single case that comes across my desk where there’s a request for a pardon, or clemency, or a reduction of sentence – and I take it very seriously. I weigh the merits of the case, I weigh what occurred in the court proceedings, I think about public safety and victims, and all of those issues factor into my decision."
While in downtown Scranton promoting small businesses and highlighting his administration’s efforts to cut taxes, Shapiro commented on President Biden's clemency, saying his decision was "absolutely wrong" and caused pain in NEPA.
"This was not only a black eye on the community, the kids for cash scandal, but it also affected families in really deep and profound and sad ways. Some children took their lives because of this. Families were torn apart. There was all kind of mental health issues and anguish that came as a result of these corrupt judges deciding they wanted to make a buck off a kid’s back."
Shapiro went on to say that Conahan's sentence was "too light" and believed his home confinement in Florida because of COVID was "absolutely wrong" and he should've at least finished his sentence and not be "walking as a free man."
His co-conspirator, former judge Mark Ciavarella, is still serving out a 28-year prison sentence at a federal prison in Kentucky. He’s expected to be out in June of 2034.