A powerful, bracing and deeply spiritual look at intensely, troubled youth, Last Chance in Texas gives a stirring account of the way one remarkable prison rehabilitates its inmates. While reporting on the juvenile court system, journalist John Hubner kept hearing about a facility in Texas that ran the most aggressive–and one of the most successful–treatment programs for violent young offenders in America. How was it possible, he wondered, that a state like Texas, famed for its hardcore attitude toward crime and punishment, could be leading the way in the rehabilitation of violent and troubled youth? Now Hubner shares the surprising answers he found over months of unprecedented access to the Giddings State School, home to “the worst of the worst”: four hundred teenage lawbreakers convicted of crimes ranging from aggravated assault to murder. Hubner follows two of these youths–a boy and a girl–through harrowing group therapy sessions in which they, along with their fellow inmates, recount their crimes and the abuse they suffered as children. The key moment comes when the young offenders reenact these soul-shattering moments with other group members in cathartic outpourings of suffering and anger that lead, incredibly, to genuine remorse and the beginnings of true empathy . . . the first steps on the long road to redemption. Cutting through the political platitudes surrounding the controversial issue of juvenile justice, Hubner lays bare the complex ties between abuse and violence. By turns wrenching and uplifting, Last Chance in Texas tells a profoundly moving story about the children who grow up to inflict on others the violence that they themselves have suffered. It is a story of horror and heartbreak, yet ultimately full of hope.

This is the eBook of the printed book and may not include any media, website access codes, or print supplements that may come packaged with the bound book. For undergraduate courses in Texas Criminal Law Criminal Law in the Lone Star State Texas Criminal Law: Principles and Practices provides an in-depth review of Texas criminal law while highlighting how Texas legal sanctions differ from other states. Its state-specific focus on terminology and laws makes this an ideal text for readers planning to serve in the Texas criminal justice system. The Second Edition uses historical references and inter-state comparisons to examine the Texas criminal law system in varied contexts. The book uses real world examples of the day-to-day application of laws by law enforcement to connect major concepts to their practical application in the field. A scholarly presentation is balanced by an informal tone, making Texas Criminal Law interesting and easily digestible for readers.

The Texas criminal justice system has come a long way since the early 1990s, when a vicious crime spree by paroled murderer Kenneth McDuff convinced lawmakers and citizens that the system had broken down. In this book, District Attorney Ken Anderson describes major reforms that followed the McDuff case as he provides a complete overview of the criminal justice system in Texas. Using simple language that any citizen can understand, Anderson describes all aspects of the system--officials (police, prosecutors, judges), criminal procedure, criminal law, criminal punishments, victims' rights, and the juvenile system. He illustrates his points with real-life stories of crime and punishment. Throughout the book, Anderson emphasizes two facts--that crime prevention programs, stricter law enforcement, and increased prison space have dramatically lowered the crime rate in Texas and that citizen activism is very effective in bringing reform to the criminal justice system. This book will be essential reading for everyone--public and professional--concerned with criminal justice in Texas.

Written by a Texas inmate trained as a reporter, this book gives practical advice on how inmates live, eat, play, work, and die in the Texas prison system. It spotlights the day-to-day workings of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice--what's good, what's bad, which programs work and which ones do not, and examines if practice really follows official policy. "While the book is meant to be a primer for those with loved ones in prison, it should be required reading for any attorney involved in criminal law."--Texas Lawyer de Novo Magazine

This reference work was compiled as a resource for those needing assistance in locating Texas criminal justice statistics. R. Scott Harnsberger has compiled more than 600 entries describing statistical sources for Texas crime; criminals; law enforcement; courts and sentencing; adult and juvenile corrections; capital punishment and death row; victims of crime; driving/boating under the influence; traffic fatalities; substance abuse and treatment; polls and rankings; and fiscal topics such as appropriations, revenues, expenditures, and federal aid. The sources for these statistics originate primarily, but not exclusively, from federal and State of Texas agencies, boards, bureaus, commissions, and departments. The following types of publications are included: annual, biennial, and biannual reports; reports issued in series; analytic and research reports; statistical compilations; budgets and other fiscal documents; audits, inspections, and investigations; census publications; polls; projections; rankings; surveys; continuously updated online resources; and datasets. Harnsberger has annotated the entries to provide sufficient detail to enable users to decide whether the listed resources merit further investigation. Additional notes contain URLs and information regarding the scope of the published data; title changes; related publications; and the availability of earlier data, previous editions, online tables, and datasets. This book will prove to be a valuable resource for students, faculty, researchers, government officials, and individuals in the law enforcement, correctional, and judicial professions.