D.V. v. State

Tolstoy famously wrote that “[a]ll happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” The sad tale of the unhappy family in this case would have challenged the ability of any juvenile judge to do the right thing. In the end, the trial judge imposed a sentence contrary to the notion of juvenile justice set forth in the Florida Statutes and described by the United States and Florida Supreme Courts.

The child appellant was born and raised outside of Florida. He had little contact with his biological father. When the child was 12, his mother died. For a while, the child…