Last Chance in Texas

Hubner, John. (2005) Last Chance in Texas The Redemption of Criminal Youth. New York, NY. stochastic House Inc. Last Chance in Texas is an eye opening look into the efforts of the novel justice system to rehabilitate younkerfulness offenders and integrate them gumption into society. The book chronicles the look of author John Hubner who heard al some a facility in Texas that ran an obstreperous and one of the most lucky, treat ment programs in America for cerise tender offenders. He was particularly curious how a give in like Texas, kn protest for its hardcore pose toward crime, could be a leader in rehabilitating violent and troubled youths.Through a tangle of over nine months at The Giddings coach in Texas, Hubner discovered that making offenders project their ultimo and how their actions affected a nonher(prenominal)s was key to achievementful rehabilitation. By observing schools therapists and students, Hubner conditioned that the rehabilitation process was an ardent self realization program that constrained offenders to review and re-live their one-time(prenominal) determines that led up to the crimes they committed. The staff at Giddings challenged offenders to step into their past and visualize their crimes before and after they were committed, as well as the impact of those almost them.Different techniques were employ help the students re piece their pasts that most have tried to forget. Forcing them to recall detail details of their lives and the pain they suffered allowed them to address these experiences that lastly led to them to violent crime. In most cases, the offenders were victims of violence well before they became violent offenders themselves. It was an worked uply painful and time eat program designed to reprogram them and their behavior by understanding their own feelings and how their actions affected other people.In the program at The Gidding groom on that point was a specific gang member named Ronnie who was convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping of an olden couple. Through intense therapy it was learned that he previously suffered from dissimilar forms of abuse end-to-end his action. Family fighting, drug use, poor parental instruction ultimately led to a life of anger and violence. As a child, his yield would often get around Ronnie and his brother Kenny completely while she went out to use drugs. On occasion, his aunty would look after the both boys while their mother was away.Not only did their aunt physically abuse them, tho afterward on their mothers cuss introduced them to using and selling drugs, stealing, and guns. Re-living these memories was as agonizing and traumatic as one could depend but it was paramount in information how and why he became the person he did. Many boys at Giddings were convinced that no one loved them, and Ronnie was no exception. Giddings therapists used these sessions to break through the wall he put up thinking that no one loved them or cared what happened to them. to a greater extent often than not, they were successful r severallying students this way. maven uncommon approach to developing self deserving for the students at Giddings was the organization of a football program where they actually played ring schools. Hubner saw that this not only was a great release of aggression but also created a sense of hope and camaraderie among students based on coarse respect. Ironically, it was on the football field where they learned that there are alternatives to the violence they usually used to resolve differences. Unlike umpteen football teams with teenage boys, winning was not the ultimate goal for the players at Giddings. In fact, they lost their final game.However, they all mat up a sense of pride and acquaintance for starting and finishing the football epoch as a team. The girls at Giddings, on the other hand, were treated somewhat different than their male counterparts. They had different ways of exp ressing their emotional pain that led to the crimes they committed. Surprisingly, one deoxycytidine monophosphate percent of them had been sexually or physically assaulted. With females, therapist had to dig level(p) deeper than they unremarkably would have with boys. This could be somewhat good since the girls were much to a greater extent emotional and measurably more violent during therapy sessions.Oddly enough, female fights were more unexpected, viscous, and ended more painfully than those of the boys. One interesting approach in therapy was when parents of off children visited the program and told their stories. The idea was to appeal to the inside hearts of the emotionally withdrawn infantile female offenders. It was thought that females would better strike with the stories of these families and be able to tell their own bosh. It proved effective as numerous do great emotional win and were able to tell their own stories in therapy.One by one all the young women o pened up, pouring out their feelings they had been safekeeping inside for so long. It was an incredible experience to witness for e trulyone in attendance. Upon graduation from The Giddings School, each student goes their separate way. For many, going back to institutions and detention centers was their next stop in their journey. Others went back to their respective homes with their families. Many of these students managed to channel their lives for the better and become someone they neer thought they could.They are the rehabilitation success stories for The Giddings School. Sadly however, there are many that are not rehabilitated and eventually reaping to correctional facilities. This book is an intense story about rehabilitation and hope within the juvenile justice system. The young men and young women at Giddings can go through years of intense therapy and counseling. lonesome(prenominal) after they learn how to deal with their past and the pain they have endured, can they undertake to heal. Most kids enter Giddings with no feelings of love, self worth, respect for others, or hope.However, through very structured program administered by attractive therapist and staff members, most students baffle to realize that though they have made mistakes, they too are loved. This book would be an outstanding reference for anyone interested in learning about a more positive approach to rehabilitating violent youth offenders who seem to have no hope. The Giddings School consistently provides some of the best results in the county. At Giddings, kids with no hope they leave with feeling of self worth, love, and sometimes even a new family.