I don't know if there is any overarching lesson to be learned from what's going on today in the lives of the young men once known as the 'Jena Six' or from the lives of the judge and prosecutor determined to lock them up or even from the life of assault victim Justin Barker.

It was an intense time last fall. Many Americans had never even heard of the 'Jena Six' until the wall-to-wall media coverage of the march on Jena a year ago brought the story into the nation's living rooms.

One has excelled. One has really messed up. But most have just gone on living pretty ordinary lives with extraordinary moments tucked into them. Here's what's going on with the key figures ...



Jesse Ray Beard
The youngest defendant in the Jena Six case--he was 14 at the time of the events--is using his share of money donated for defense attorneys to attend Canterbury School in New Milford, Conn., a private boarding school with a focus on college preparation. He is a junior this year. Following probation, Beard left Jena to live with an attorney in Westchester, New York where he thrived in the new, more structured environment.

Robert Bailey
Robert Bailey was the young man first assaulted by other attendees of a predominately white party on December 1, 2006. Many saw that attack as an accelerant to the tensions connected with the assault that would later occur on Justin Barker – although Justin Barker had nothing to do with Bailey's assault. When the police arrived, Bailey and his black classmate were told to "go back to your side of town." Bailey later caused an uproar when he put pictures of himself covered in and eating money, presumably money donated by average people all over the world to help pay legal costs, up on his MySpace page. According to his coach, he has gotten his act together and now attends high school at Shaw High School in Columbus, Georgia, where he has been granted an extra year's eligibility to play football.

Mychal Bell
Bell is the only member of the 'Jena 6' to stand trial. Bell pleaded guilty to juvenile charges of second-degree battery in December and is expected to testify against other members of the 'Jena 6' in upcoming trials. Bell admitted that he did in fact assault Justin Barker while speaking to CNN in August. He was denied a chance to play his senior year of high school football in August at Carroll High School in Monroe, La. Bell missed his last year of football eligibility because he was in jail.

Carwin Jones
Jones and Bryant R. Purvis helped present the Video of the Year award on Black Entertainment Television's Hip-Hop Awards during the October awards show. His charges were reduced at his arraignment to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit the same. Jones was arrested May 10, 2008, and charged with misdemeanor battery in connection with a fight that involved baseball bats. Jones said he has been constantly targeted and intimidated at his new school and that the incident that day "hit a nerve" and he reacted.

Bryant Purvis
Purvis now lives in Carrollton, Texas and was arrested on February 7, 2008 for an assault causing bodily injury on a fellow high school student. Police say Purvis walked up to another student from behind, grabbed his neck with one hand, choked him and pushed his head into a bench.

Theo Shaw
Last spring, Shaw was 2 credits away from earning his high school diploma. Both Malcolm Shaw, Theo's brother who police did not initially name as an attacker in the case, and Theo have now been named in the civil suit by Justin Barker's family.

Justin Barker
According to USA Today, Barker and his family have filed a civil lawsuit against the 'Jena Six' parents, the adult teens, an additional student and the local school board. Justin Barker and his parents, David and Kelli, allege in the suit that seven Jena High School students attacked Justin on Dec. 4, 2006, as he left the school gym. The suit names the attackers as the "Jena Six" students - Bell, Bryant Purvis, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Theo Shaw and a juvenile - as well as a second juvenile.

District Attorney Reed Walters
The D.A. who first charged the Jena 6 recently made an appeal in the removal a judge in the "Jena Six" case. Walters objected to the removal of the Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr. who admitted to using questionable remarks in the case, including calling the teens "troublemakers" and "a violent bunch."

March Noose Instigator
Jeremiah Munsen, a Louisiana teenager who hung nooses off the back of his truck to intimidate Jena Six demonstrators is serving four months in prison for interfering with the march. He was initially charged with "inciting a riot."

What do you think a year later?