The Rehabilitation of Jonathan Wayne Nobles
The friendship of two men, one free from the constraints of alcohol and drugs and another still facing the consequences, torn to pieces by the hands of an injustice punishment, the death penalty. In the essay, “A Death in Texas,” Steve Earle explains, through his friendship and final moments with prisoner Jonathan Wayne Nobles, how the death penalty is not a way to bring justice and how it is a cruel and brutal form of punishment. Throughout the essay, Earle tries to illustrate how Nobles was rehabilitated and undeserving of the punishment he received, which is where many controversies lay. The question is, was Jonathan Wayne Nobles truly rehabilitated? There are many pieces of evidence that can lead one to believe that Nobles was in fact rehabilitated. The evidence that points to the conclusion the Nobles was rehabilitated are: his behavior changes, his supporting cast saw a change in him, and a sincere apology.
A prime example of Nobles’ rehabilitation is in his behavioral transformation, from when he first went to prison to his final moments. At the beginning, Nobles was a constant problem. He would: try to avoid other inmates, escape prison, and even put himself in harm’s hands just so that he would be given a shot to harm the guards. Although, just like how Earle described it, “somewhere along the line,
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From the time he stabbed Kelley Farquhar and Mitzi Nalley and injured Ron Ross, to his final moments, Jonathan Wayne Nobles was not the same man. His Rehabilitation affected not only him, but everyone else around him. One could even consider Nobles a prime example of the power that rehabilitation has on someone. “If Jonathan Wayne Nobles were still around today, he could have taught us how to rehabilitate someone. Although, now we will never
In the article "A Jail Sentence Ends. But the Stigma Doesn't." , James Forman argues that in the US there is not enough forgiveness to those who have been incarcerated. Forman brings the debate on the life of an inmate who is released and then trying to get back into the sway of life.
After talking to Aubrey Rubenstein James Mcbride learns that all jews had moved out of the area says Mcbride. Also he learns that his family has taken over the slaughterhouse that james mother’s family owned as a child ( Mcbride 224). James also learns that not all white people treated blacks like if they weren’t the same. He says “ I found it odd and amazing when white people treated me that way, like if there was no barriers between us” (Mcbride 224). When James learned that all the jewish people had moved out he asked a lot of questions.
Jonathan Wayne Nobles was not truly rehabilitated. He could have acted like he was becoming a better person, so that he was treated better or get an opportunity to be released. He manipulated people to help him and believe him. Nobles didn’t explain what happened between Gene Hathorn and him to Steve Earle. He was a different person than he was when he committed the crime, though that doesn’t prove that he won’t do anything like that again if he was released from prison.
On September 13, 1986, Jonathan Wayne Nobles was found guilty of stabbing Kelly Joan Farquhar four times in the heart and slashed her throat, as well as stabbing Mitzi Johnson Nalley twenty-eight times. Nobles also had stabbed Ron Ross nineteen times, but Ross survived the stabbing. Nobles was sentenced to death and was held at Ellis prison in Texas. Soon after being sentenced, Nobles began writing to Steve Earle. Earle is a singer-songwriter who had battled drug addiction and was in and out of prison.
Jonathan Wayne Nobles was not truly rehabilitated. Some individuals thought him to be rehabilitated, but others saw through his bogusness. From the examples that will be given; they will show how Nobles was just “faking it, to make it”. His actions, religion, and attitude show it all.
Johnathan Wayne Nobles was arrested in 1986 for the murders of two young women and the stabbing of a young man. He was sentenced to death for his crimes; he spent 12 years in prison before his death of lethal injection. During that time he sobered up, found religion, made friends, and expressed remorse for his crimes. So, was Nobles truly rehabilitated before his execution? Demonstrating those attributes proves he was rehabilitated.
However, we are more than the labels used against us, because there are so much more to a person’s character. We should seek out the goodness in someone’s heart rather than the blemishes. Bryan Stevenson describes that private prisons “… has corrupted incentives
True Rehabilitation Jonathan Wayne Nobles, convicted murderer of two young women in Austin, Texas during 1986 therefore spending twelve years of his life in prison. He had been on a path of rehabilitation in prison, after he began with disruptive criminal behavior as if a troublesome convict. Truly Nobles could not have been a rehabilitated man after having only spent twelve years incarcerated. The majority of truly rehabilitated prisoners is a small amount of returning citizens that do not relapse into reoccurring offenses.
Jonathan Wayne Nobles was not truly rehabilitated. No one will ever know the truth if he was or was not fully rehabilitated, but there are several reasons to point to him not being reformed. First off, the change in his behavior. His behavior changed drastically, he went from being a basic criminal and killer to a reformed Catholic. A reason for this change in Nobles was in some eyes just a façade.
In Steve Earle’s essay, “A Death in Texas”, Earle gives descriptions of his and Nobles interactions and how he behaved during the days that lead up to his execution on October 7th, 1998. The essay gives a glimpse of Nobles through Earle’s eyes, depicting him as a sorrowful man who confessed to his murders and was working to atone for his sins. Earle’s wrote about how he changed his behavior by getting clean and finding God, as well as earning the respect of the inmates and guards along the way. Reading Earle’s descriptions of Nobles could lead one to believe he was rehabilitated and could have possibly been fit for society, however, some evidence points towards the direction that Nobles may not have been completely rehabilitated after all.
From his violent and abusive backgrounds inflicted upon others and himself to his revolutionized character, his development can be seen through his wrong and detrimental mindset, his sudden epiphany, and his healing process, taking us from the start of to the seeming end of his “healing.” Cole, an adolescent, juvenile
Jonathan Wayne Nobles, “was executed in Huntsville for the stabbing deaths of Mitzi Johnson-Nalley, 21, and Kelly Farquhar, 24, in 1986” (Bishop). Just hearing this man’s crime would make people want to put him in a prison cell and throw away the key because in most people’s minds someone like him cannot change. Steve Earle, “a prolife singer, songwriter, producer, actor, and writer” (Reading on the River), on the other hand, friends this man named Jonathan Wayne Nobles, and he writes this story to show that Nobles changed while in prison. In Steve Earle’s “A Death in Texas,” Earle uses elaborate character description, potent imagery, and solemn dialogue to convey the theme that people can change.
“There is a strength, a power even, in understanding brokenness, because embracing our brokenness creates a need and desire for mercy, and perhaps a corresponding need to show mercy (Stevenson 109) .” This bold statement is one of many as Bryan Stevenson sets the tone for his renowned award winning novel Just Mercy. As a young lawyer from Georgia, built the foundation for his company, SPDC (Southern Prisoners Defense Committee) to help convicts that are on death row or in need a second chance. Bryan Stevenson, a young lawyer from Georgia who fought for justice on the behalf of inmates on death row, showed tremendous intelligence in becoming a successful lawyer, demanding for not backing down in moments of refusal, and was an overall advocate
Taking this first step in reconciliation allows for a face to face encounter where restorative dialogue can occur between the victim and the offender in a genuine interaction (Dancig-Rosenberg and Galt, 2013). Furthermore, this process requires that the offender take explicit responsibility for the actions committed while listening and responding to the victim affected by their crime so as to present their own approach for repairing the damage caused (Dancig-Rosenberg and Galt, 2013). This process promotes honest dialogue and an empowering experience for the victim as they feel that their needs are heard and feelings expressed (Dancig-Rosenberg and Galt, 2013). In all, restorative justice benefits the victim, the offender and the community as community ties are strengthened while the process of the restorative approach discourages the offender from committing further crimes through the use of an open-minded and rehabilitative process (Dancig-Rosenberg and Galt,
The main argument expressed in the article "Greg Ousley is Sorry for Killing His Parents. is that Enough?" is that juveniles/kids should not be sentenced to prison for long term, even if they commit severe crimes, and they have the ability to rehabilitate themselves, so they should not serve this long term sentences when they are showing improvement. An example that gives the author is the case of Greg Ousley, a teen who killed his parents at the age of 14, and that now with a age of 33 years he still serving the 60 years sentence. The author Scott Anderson interviewed Greg during a few sessions. When Anderson interviewed Greg, he saw a completely mature man with wishes to work with young people, to teach them what can go wrong by using his life as an