R.T. v. State

In this juvenile delinquency áppeal, Appellant seeks review of an order adjudicating him delinquent and committing him to the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) for high-risk residential placement. We write only to address Appellant’s complaint that the trial court failed to adequately specify its reasons for an upward departure from the recommendation by the DJJ. Because the trial court erred when it failed to reference the characteristics of a high-risk facility in relation to Appellant’s needs and failed to explain why its consideration of the evidence led to a different conclusion than…