The Florida legislature has agreed to do away with the state's four remaining boot camps for juvenile offenders, and replace them with a "softer" program. The decision, which includes some increased funding, is a fitting memorial for 14-year-old Martin Anderson, who died one day after entering the Bay County boot camp in January. Though the doctor who performed the first autopsy on Anderson ruled his death was due to sickle-cell trait, a usually non-fatal blood disorder, the release of a video from the boot camp showing guards beating Anderson raised questions about that result. A second autopsy was carried out with the consent of Anderson's parents, but the results haven't been made public.

The new plan calls for the four boot camps to be reorganized using a program called STAR -- Sheriff's Training and Respect.

The key difference: a prohibition on using psychological intimidation techniques and physical force, except in very specific instances when guards or other young people are in danger of physical harm. And there's going to be more rigorous training for staff. The Bradenton Herald has a good overview.

The camps would be monitored by an independent body, the Juvenile Justice Accountability Commission, whose members will be appointed by the governor. The boot camps were not subject to independent monitoring, which may have led to some of the problems. There will be a new focus on education, and juveniles will be monitored after they are released through an after-care program in an effort to reduce recidivism.

Three of the four boot camps had a recidivism rate of close to 50 percent with a year of "graduation," pretty poor results for a system that put kids at such risk. To me, any program that has "pain compliance" as part of its strategy for dealing with teenage offenders is wrong-headed and wrong-hearted from the get-go, but you'd like to at least see results....

(The fourth camp, with a recidivism rate of 23 percent, differed from the others in that it included an after-care component to help kids transition back to school or work in their communities.)

It won't bring back Martin Anderson, but it's a step towards more humane -- and effective -- juvenile justice in Florida.