Last Chance in Texas The Redemption of Criminal Youth

1. Name and quick summary of book: Last Chance in Texas: The Redemption of Criminal Youth, by John Hubner, follows Hubner as he observes the â€Å"worst of the worst† juvenile offenders at Giddings State School. This treatment program is truly a â€Å"last chance† for may of the adolescents there – their last chance to change the direction of their lives before ending up in jail. Hubner takes the reader through a gripping and emotional journey as the teenagers go through the Capitol Offenders group and delve into their past hurts, childhood years, and reasons that contributed to their involvement in crime. Each member of the group must tell their life story and crime story and relive them by observing both in a drama, as well as participating in†¦show more content†¦His mother was Hispanic and his father was Caucasian, which was a problem for his father’s parents, who talked him into divorcing Ronnie’s mother, despite the loving relations hip they had. Ronnie’s mother left the area after awhile and moved in with her sister, where she often left Ronnie and his brother while she went out with her drug addicted boyfriend. When his mother was gone, Ronnie’s aunt started abusing him and lying to his mother about it. One time Ronnie begged his mom to take him with her, and she allowed him to come. While at her boyfriends’ house, he witnessed a brutal stabbing that caused him to start fantasizing about doing the same thing to his aunt. After more abuse by his aunt, Ronnie’s mom finally takes the boys back to her parents house, but soon abandons them when Ronnie was only six. He took his anger out by being a bully at school, and started to beat up his younger brother. His mother came back occasionally, but never stayed. Ronnie went to visit her and her new boyfriend and was introduced to fighting by his mother’s new husband. Around the same time, he found his stepfather’s gun , which he used to threaten his brother. Ronnie would have killed his brother and himself if the gun had not misfired. After that incident, Ronnie bonded more with his stepfather, and even stayed with him when his mother left. He started hanging out with his step cousins and committing robberies withShow MoreRelatedHow to Treat Violent Young Offenders1007 Words   |  5 Pagesto receive treatment,it does more damage than good. For example, John Hubner’s(2005) book, Last Chance in Texas: The Redemption of Criminal Youth, describes how experimental treatments at the Giddings State School in Texas can change the lives of violent young offenders for the better. Giddings State School is a facility run by the Texas Youth Commission for those who have not only broken the law in Texas, but who are also considered to be â€Å"the worst of the worst† (p. xviii). 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Some of the people that believe that there is hope for the juvenile criminal work in the Texas Youth Commission, in particular at Giddings State School or the last chance in Texas. ThisRead MoreLast Chance in Te xas Essay1052 Words   |  5 PagesHubner, John. (2005) Last Chance in Texas: The Redemption of Criminal Youth. New York, NY. Random House Inc. Last Chance in Texas is an eye opening look into the efforts of the juvenile justice system to rehabilitate youth offenders and integrate them back into society. The book chronicles the research of author John Hubner who heard about a facility in Texas that ran an aggressive and one of the most successful, treatment programs in America for violent young offenders. He was particularlyRead MoreThe Cell Door Slams Shut2636 Words   |  11 Pagesprisoners. It was not always this way, so how did this come to be? 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The program that was ran byRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pageseditions. I think this may even be my best book. The new Google and Starbucks cases should arouse keen student interest, and may even inspire another generation of entrepreneurs. A fair number of the older cases have faced significant changes in the last few years, for better or for worse, and these we have captured to add to learning insights. After so many years of investigating mistakes, and more recently successes also, it might seem a challenge to keep these new editions fresh and interesting