Tag Archive for: cruel and unusual punishment

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…

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…

Webinar: Your Client’s Brain and the Relevancy of Graham and Miller – September 27 at 2:00 PM
Your Client's Brain and the Relevancy of Graham and Miller
September 27, 2018, 2:00 p.m. Eastern, 90 minutes
Webinar Faculty
Jill Pasquarella, Supervising Attorney, Louisiana Center for Children's Rights
About the Webinar
The…

Registration Open: Miller/Graham Updates by Roseanne Eckert
Join CFACDL Wednesday, September 26 from 11:30am-1:15pm on Miller/Graham Updates with speaker Roseanne Eckert from the Juvenile Resentencing and Review Project.
Register here.

Lanadieal Ashe Resentenced to 40 Years for 1995 Murder in Five Star Food Store Robbery – Treasure Coast Newspapers
For the first time in 22 years, Lanadieal Ashe faced Aslam "Ozzie" Hussain, the brother of the man she killed when she was 17, during her resentencing hearing. Ashe is serving a life prison term for fatally shooting 25-year-old Tariq Hussain…

Save the Date: Defender Summer School

Jacksonville Man Subject of Landmark Ruling Will Wait Years for his Chance at Release – The Florida Times-Union
Terrence Graham, subject of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Graham v. Florida, may have to wait several years before given a meaningful opportunity for release. Read more.
Image courtesy of the Florida Department of…

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Appeal of Teen Sentenced to 241 Years in Prison – The Hill
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review the case of Bobby Bostic, who argues that his 241-year sentence violates the Eighth Amendment under Graham v. Florida. Read more and watch.

I Sentenced a Teen to Die in Prison. I Regret It – The Washington Post
In this op-ed, retired Missouri circuit court judge Evelyn Baker expresses her regrets about sentencing a 16-year-old to 241 years in prison for armed robbery. Read more.
Photo by Mitchel Lensink on Unsplash.

Short Documentary Explores History—and Present—of the Juvenile Justice System – Color Lines
The Youth First Initiative has released a short documentary on the history of the juvenile justice system, which special emphasis on racial disparities that continue into the present. Read more.

Juvenile Law Center Releases New Report on Solitary Confinement in Juvenile Facilities
Last week, the Juvenile Law Center released its new report, Unlocking Youth: Legal Strategies to End Solitary Confinement in Juvenile Facilities. The report was able to make a number of findings:
The use of solitary confinement in juvenile…

Public Defenders Take on Juvenile Lifer Cases – The Orlando Sentinel
This article from The Orlando Sentinel features David Redfearn, Assistant Public Defender for the Office of the Public Defender, Ninth Judicial Circuit. Redfearn's cases include those sentenced to life in prison without parole for crimes they…