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ACLU seeks release of 18 Berks County inmates

READING - The American Civil Liberties Union has asked the state Supreme Court to release 18 Berks County inmates who were sentenced without attorneys present.

    Inquirer
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READING - The American Civil Liberties Union has asked the state Supreme Court to release 18 Berks County inmates who were sentenced without attorneys present.

Mary Catherine Roper, an attorney for ACLU of Pennsylvania, filed the petition Thursday. The 18 did not have attorneys, she said, when sentenced to Berks County Prison for failure to pay child support.

President Judge Jeffrey Schmehl has said the inmates will get new hearings with attorneys present, according to the ACLU, but has refused to release them in the meantime. -AP

    Inquirer