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50th Anniversary of In re Gault

Last week, the Office of the Public Defender for the Ninth Judicial Circuit and the League of Women Voters of Orange County celebrated the 50th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision In re Gault. The program began with Gault:…
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No Break for ‘Vampire Cult’ Killer Rod Ferrell, Life Sentences Stand

Rod Ferrell, known as a teen vampire cult leader convicted in the beating deaths of a Eustis couple, lost his bid to shorten the life sentences he is serving. The 55-page decision, written by Circuit Judge G. Richard Singeltary…
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Graham/Miller BBQ Lunch – Orlando, February 26

Join CFACDL for a moving luncheon to hear the stories of individuals released from prison after re-sentencing pursuant to the Graham and Miller decisions on juvenile life without parole. BBQ lunch will be served. CLE credit is pending for this…
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What’s the Meaning of “Life” When Sentencing Kids?

Say you’re a teenager who has committed a serious crime, and a judge is about to sentence you to prison for a very long time. How long a sentence would the judge have to hand down for it to feel essentially the same as being sent to prison…
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ABA Urges Supreme Court to Follow Miller Standard for Juvenile Punishments

In an amicus brief filed Tuesday, the ABA urged the U.S. Supreme Court to recognize that juveniles’ “diminished culpability and greater prospects for reform” separate them from adults and that those whose crimes “reflect transient…
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Solitary Confinement: Legal and Scientific Issues for Children and Young Adults

Scientific research continues to document the impact of solitary confinement on the developing brains of children and young adults. Such confinement can occasion irreversible, even fatal outcomes while producing no consistently positive effects…
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FREE Webinar: Solitary Confinement: Legal and Scientific Issues for Children and Young Adults

Scientific research continues to document the impact of solitary confinement on the developing brains of children and young adults. Such confinement can occasion irreversible, even fatal outcomes while producing no consistently positive effects…
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Supreme Court Won’t Consider Expanding Juvenile Death Ban

The U.S. Supreme Court refused on Tuesday to consider extending its ban on executing juvenile offenders to people who were as old as 20 when they committed their crimes. The justices also denied a stay of execution for Michael Brandon Samra,…
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After 55 Years in Prison, Baton Rouge Man Key to Supreme Court Ruling Again Denied Freedom

Henry Montgomery's victory at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016 created a way for hundreds of prisoners like him — those convicted of horrific crimes while juveniles — to earn their freedom by demonstrating their rehabilitation since their…
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Supreme Court to Consider Whether Beltway Sniper Lee Boyd Malvo Deserves New Sentencing

The Supreme Court on Monday said it will consider whether Lee Boyd Malvo, the teenage half of the Beltway snipers who terrorized the Washington region 16 years ago, may challenge his sentence of life in prison without parole. Malvo, 34, was…
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Florida Sixth-Grader Charged After Confrontation with Teacher Over Pledge of Allegiance

A student from a Tampa suburb is facing misdemeanor charges after an apparent confrontation with his teacher who wanted him to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. The 11-year-old refused to recite the pledge, telling his teacher that he believes…
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Palm Beach County to End Solitary Confinement for Teens in Adult Jails

Palm Beach County is eliminating solitary confinement for juveniles in adult jails. The change comes after Palm Beach County's Sheriff's Office reached a settlement in a federal lawsuit that alleged the practice violated the civil rights…