A northeastern Pennsylvania prosecutor says she had no idea that most juvenile defendants were appearing in court without lawyers and weren't properly informed of their right to counsel.

Luzerne County District Attorney Jacqueline Musto Carroll says the assistant district attorneys who prosecuted cases before Judge Mark Ciavarella (shiv-uh-REL'-uh) Jr. didn't inform her of the irregularities in his court.

Prosecutors say Ciavarella and another judge accepted millions of dollars in kickbacks to place juveniles in a for-profit detention center.

Musto Carroll testified Tuesday before a panel investigating the scandal. She says she thought the harsh sentences given to juveniles were a reaction to the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado.