Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Butch Held, a former Superintendent of the Giddings State School. During our conversation, he said a book had been written about Giddings, by journalist John Hubner, and offered to lend me a copy.
Most of you have never heard of Giddings, Texas, let alone the state school there. I know I hadn't and I've done a lot of traveling in the past 62 years. Giddings is a city in Lee County, Texas, United States situated on the intersection of U.S. Routes 77 and 290, 55 miles (88 km) east of Austin. The school is under the authority and direction of the Texas Youth Commision (TYC).
To look at Giddings State School, you wouldn't think of it as a prison. In fact, judging from the picture on the website, you would think it was a highly refined private school. In a manner of speaking, it is. The program they have there is unlike any other in the nation, or world, for that matter. Giddings receives the worst of the worst youth offenders. They deal with murders, high-level drug dealers, rapists, prostitutes, etc., etc. If you can think of the vilest of youth crime, they've dealt with it there. If you have every encountered, or heard of a psychopathic youth, they deal with them every day. Yet, they have no rehabilitation program and they do not refer to them as inmates or prisoners or any other tag you want to put on someone who is incarcerated. They are students, or kids; that's it. Why don't they have a rehabilitation program? John Hubner explains it better in the book, but in my words and the definition in Merriam-Webster, rehabilitation is the act of restoring to a former state (as of efficiency, good management, or solvency). The youth at Giddings have never had a "former state" to restore them to. The book cover says "The redemption of youth" (the deliverance of mankind from such fundamentally negative or disabling conditions as suffering, evil, finitude, and death). This is the mind-set of each and every staff member at Giddings. They reform them. The first step is to teach them how to love and what it's like to be loved. Maybe I should add, Giddings is not a play school; it's a reform school, out and out. The staff are tough as nails, but have a common philosophy and way of handling these kids. They're able to reach them, when no one else can. They want to reach them, when no one else does. They are successful, because they believe in the kids and they believe in what they're doing. While reading the book, you grow to respect each and every one of them.
As I began reading the book, it took very little time to realize John Hubner has a special talent. He not only paints a clear picture in your mind, he animates it. If they made a movie of the book, and could do it justice, it would be great. However, if you read the book, you don't need a movie. John's style of writing plays the scene out right in front of your eyes. It's like you're actually there, witnessing the whole thing.
Giddings has a program called Capital Offenders. As I remember (wish I still had the book), the program is scheduled to last 9 weeks, though the students are given all the time they need. One lasted 10 months. The book is based on two of these programs, one of the boys sessions and one of the girls sessions. In the middle, if you're a football fan, there's a very entertaining chapter on the football season that was documented on ESPN, filmed by Holden Production Group. As I said, it's very entertaining and yes, it really happened. I verified it with Butch Held.
Capital Offenders is a unique program. First, the students are expected to tell their life story, from beginning to present, holding nothing back. The other students in the group, and the staff, encourage them, prod and pressure them, and challenge them, until the whole truth comes out. You won't believe the kind of life these kids had. Living in our little cocoons, going about our daily lives, you don't think about the horrors a 5 year old or 10 year old is going through at any given moment. To hear their stories is a real eye opener. It's almost sickening to learn that a child would have to experience some of the things they did.
Phase two of Capital Offenders is the Crime Story. Each students has to tell there crime story in detail. After which, the other students and staff act it out (role-play), right in front of them. In the final phase, the student has to join the role-play and play the part of his/her own victim. I won't say anymore about it, because it's something you have to read and visualize to understand.
If you look through my website, or you know me, recommending a book is not something I do on a regular basis. However, I cannot encourage you enough to get a copy of Last Chance In Texas and read it. You won't believe what is going on, right in front of your eyes. It prompted me to write an email to the White House and the Vice President. If you feel the same way, after reading the book, you'll find the addresses below.
White House
Vice President Richard Cheney
After reading the book, the first thing I wanted to know is WHAT HAPPENED TO THE KIDS THAT WERE RELEASED? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Fortunately, John Hubner was wise enough to anticipate that question. He included followup details at the end of the book. Additionally, he includes percentages of rearrest, for the general population, over a period of time. It's pretty impressive. You can also find the statistics on the Texas Youth Commission website. Click on "Research and Data" and go to "Specialized Treatment and Recidivism".
