No Longer Silent

The White House Boys speak out on abuses suffered at the hands of a Florida reform school.

The Ghosts of the Past

JJIE recently spoke with former residents of the Florida State Reform School in Marianna, now grown men, who weeped as they told of their horrifying experiences of beatings and abuse. The school was the site of an untold number of abuses of the young residents by staff throughout its more than 100 years of operation, before it was finally closed in 2011.

National Coalition Asks Americans to ‘Stand Up’ to JLWOP

The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth is asking individuals across the United States to mark their locations on a virtual map, in an online display of solidarity against the practice of placing juvenile offenders in jail for life. The promotion, Stand Up for Fair Sentencing, allows Web visitors to list themselves on a map, which is color-coordinated to display the total number of prisoners sentenced for crimes committed as juveniles who are now serving life without parole in each state. “This project is really meant to be a mobilizing tool to engage people interested in taking a stand for the fair sentencing of youth,” said Jody Kent Lavy, director and national coordinator for the organization. The tool allows individuals across the country to voice their support for what Lavy described as “needs-appropriate alternatives” to juvenile incarceration. Once users sign onto the map, she said, the organization will contact signatories and update them about reform efforts in their respective states.