Giddings State School is a juvenile correctional facility of the

Texas Juvenile Justice Department The Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) is a state agency in Texas, headquartered in the Braker H Complex in Austin. It was created on December 1, 2011, replacing the Texas Youth Commission and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission. Histor ...

located in

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

Lee County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, near

Giddings Giddings may refer to: *Giddings (surname) *Giddings, Texas *Mount Giddings, a mountain in Antarctica *Giddings Peak, a mountain in Antarctica *Giddings Hall, Georgetown College Giddings Hall, originally called Recitation Hall, is a Greek Revival ...

.Giddings State School
."

Texas Youth Commission The Texas Youth Commission (TYC) was a Texas state agency which operated juvenile corrections facilities in the state. The commission was headquartered in the Brown-Heatly Building in Austin. As of 2007, it was the second largest juvenile correct ...

. Retrieved on August 21, 2010. In 2004, the state school was Lee County's largest employer.

History

The Giddings State Home and School for Boys opened in September 1972, serving younger boys who were runaways and/or were adjudicated. In 1979 the

Gatesville State School The Gatesville State School for Boys was a juvenile corrections facility in Gatesville, Texas. The facility was converted into two prisons for adults, the Christina Crain Unit (formerly Gatesville Unit), and the Hilltop Unit.

closed, and Giddings took some students previously at Gatesville.Gatesville State School for Boys
" ''

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President Wal ...

''. Retrieved on July 23, 2010. In 1980 Giddings was designated as the state's maximum security juvenile facility. In 1997 the school's students had mostly committed violent crimes.Bradley, John Ed. "A Sporting Chance."

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

''. December 15, 1997
1
Retrieved on August 21, 2010. At one time the state school had boys and girls. In 2007, the

(TYC) announced that Giddings would become male only.Levesque, Sidney.
Brownwood TYC center to be female-only unit
" ''

Abilene Reporter News ''Abilene Reporter-News'' is a daily newspaper based in Abilene, Texas, United States. The newspaper started publishing as the weekly ''Abilene Reporter'', helmed by Charles Edwin Gilbert on June 17, 1881, just three months after Abilene was f ...

''. May 25, 2007. Retrieved on August 10, 2010. As of 2010 Giddings is classified as a high security facility. In January 2012 115 inmates took a survey from Benet Magnuson, a juvenile justice analyst, and his team of researchers from the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition. Most of the prisoners reported that they felt hopeful about their futures and that they felt safe in the facility. Some stated that fights among inmates had occurred and that they had negative interactions with employees. As of September 2015 the facility has about 200 inmates.Ward, Mike.
State school disturbance leaves injuries, damage
" ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

''. September 25, 2015. Retrieved on September 26, 2015. On Friday September 15, 2015, 60 prisoners engaged in a fight that left three people injured.

Location, operations and composition

Giddings State School is from

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, and between Austin and

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. The Giddings State School has a classroom building, a cafeteria, a chapel, vocational shops, dormitories, a gymnasium, an office complex and a security unit with individual cells. The state school has a fence with motion detectors. Since 1997, guards patrol the property in unmarked vans 24 hours per day; at nighttime the guards do not use headlights so potential escapees cannot see them. John Ed Bradley of ''

'' said, "People of a certain sensitivity like to call Giddings a "home" for juvenile delinquents. In truth, it's as much a

pen A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity whic ...

as the one a couple of hours up the road in

Huntsville Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...

, where the state keeps adult offenders." Bradley explained that the Giddings State School facility, "even in the dark before dawn, resembles a small, carefully planned

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

sprung up somewhere on the prairie between Austin and Houston." The facility houses the Juvenile Capital Murderers Program.

Athletics

Giddings State School students may play

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

. A student may join the team if he has served at least half of his sentence and is not classified as "high risk". Giddings does not have any home games, and any student classified as "high risk" is not permitted to leave campus under normal circumstances.Bradley, John Ed. "A Sporting Chance." ''

''. December 15, 1997
2
Retrieved on August 21, 2010. Giddings students play when it is dark outside, because they are not able to practice after classes; the after school hours are dedicated times to meet with case workers, engage in therapy sessions and work.Cantu, Rick.

" ''

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is owned by Gannett. The paper prints Associated Press, ''New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', and ''Los Angeles Times'' internation ...

''. November 8, 2010. Retrieved on November 10, 2010. In 1997, 50 of the state school's 340 students were eligible to play on the team. The team is known as the Indians. In 1997, most members of the team were African-Americans, but significant numbers of Hispanic and non-Hispanic Whites were on the team. The members originated from communities throughout Texas. John Ed Bradley of ''

'' said "what makes Giddings remarkable is that its athletic program competes off campus in the

Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, or TAPPS, is an organization headquartered in the Lone Star Tower at Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, Texas. It was formerly headquartered at the Salado Civic Center in Salado, Texas. Foun ...

(TAPPS), and it consistently wins with teams made up of some of the worst kids in the state." Because Texas state courts transfer Giddings inmates to halfway houses and

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails, ...

(TDCJ) adult prisons, and because some students become ineligible after committing behavior violations, the team roster may change from week to week, and the American football team often loses players in the middle of a season. In 1997,

Gainesville State School The Gainesville State School is a juvenile correctional facility of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department in unincorporated Cooke County, Texas, near Gainesville. The fenced, maximum security state school is located on a tract east of Gainesvill ...

, then a TYC facility for non-violent offenders, was the main rival of Giddings State School. For a 15-year period ending in 1997, Giddings never had a homecoming event. Bradley said "Who gets sentimental about returning to the place where he was locked up?"Bradley, John Ed. "A Sporting Chance." ''

''. December 15, 1997
3
Retrieved on August 21, 2010. Bradley added "Giddings doesn't draw fans in droves. The families of a fair number of boys show up this evening, but they've come less to cheer for Giddings than to see their children engaged in a positive activity and wearing something other than prison-issue dungarees and T-shirts."Bradley, John Ed. "A Sporting Chance." ''

''. December 15, 1997
4
Retrieved on August 21, 2010. During sports games involving Giddings, cheerleaders, fans and parents do not appear to cheer for the team."Regents vs. Giddings State School, 11.04.10"
''

'', November 4, 2010. Retrieved on February 20, 2011.

Literature

The book ''

Last Chance in Texas A last is a mechanical form shaped like a human foot. It is used by shoemakers and cordwainers in the manufacture and repair of shoes. Lasts typically come in pairs and have been made from various materials, including hardwoods, cast iron, and ...

'' by

John Hubner John Hubner (December 26, 1840 – September 8, 1920) was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates and Maryland Senate. Early life John Hubner was born on December 26, 1840, in Bavaria, Germany to Michael and Mary Hubner. His father was a lu ...

presents an in-depth look into the juvenile corrections aspect of the school.

References

External links

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Giddings State School
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*
Violent teenagers in US detention centres
" ''

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

''. July 15, 1999. *
Regents vs. Giddings State School, 11.04.10
" ''