In the News

2/13/24 

A group called, PleadThe8th, which advocates for juvenile justice reform, is working to prevent cases like Graham's from happening again. 

Graham, who is from Jacksonville, spent almost two decades in Florida prison for crimes he committed as a minor. His case, which ended up before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2010, led to a landmark decision about the sentencing of juvenile offenders.

2/13/24

Jessica Richardson has always seen promise. She’s a social worker who founded the group PleadThe8th, the co-founder is Graham. 

The 8th Amendment to the Constitution states: “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”

HB1181 will also crack down on contraband. If passed, it would be a second-degree felony. 

“I'm not okay with children being sent to prison for a t-shirt or some food that's not okay,” Richardson said.

She said this bill doesn't address the root issue, preventative programs will. “90 percent of kids that go into the prison have some sort of mental health issue, trauma or abuse,” Richardson said.

2/13/24

Plaintiff in landmark case for juvenile offenders to enjoy freedom he gave others.

Terrance Graham, from Jacksonville, was the plaintiff in the Supreme Court decision that ruled children cannot be sentenced to die in prison for non-capital crimes.

May 2023 Human Rights for Kids released the first of its kind report detailing the mass incarceration of kids across the U.S. Crimes Against Humanity – The Mass Incarceration of Children in the United States report found that there are currently more than 32,000 people incarcerated in U.S. prisons across the country for crimes committed as children.

December 2022 

This report shows how states perform in 12 basic areas of law for juveniles.

Key points for lawmakers:

(1) entrance into the juvenile and criminal justice systems

(2) the treatment of children as adults

(3) conditions of confinement

(4) release and social reintegration of  child offenders. 

Two former Pennsylvania judges who orchestrated a scheme to send children to for-profit jails in exchange for kickbacks were ordered to pay more than $200 million to hundreds of people they victimized in one of the worst judicial scandals in U.S. history.

July 31, 2023

Is extreme heat in Florida prisons a form of "cruel and unusual" punishment?

By Alex DeLuca