he Rehabilitation of Johnathon Nobles
Can prison truly rehabilitate the evil in a man too good, or is it just a place to lock up the evil in or society. According to the essay “A Death In Texas” written by Steve Erle, the murderer Johnathon Nobles, a death row inmate, was able to completely turn his life around and become a man others would say was impossible to become. Throughout the essay Steve explains his interaction with Nobles and how he was rehabilitated through the prison system. So this brings to the question, was Nobles truly a changed man or was he faking it all along? The three reasons that prove his rehabilitation are, a change in attitude, his actions in prison, and the sorrow he felt in his final days. The first example of rehabilitation is the change in Johnathon’s attitude. When he first arrived in prison he broke away from the guards, climbed the pipes and started acting like a wild animal, causing the television to fall down. At one point Nobles even cut himself so he could hit the guard when the guard came to get him help (a Death in Texas). Most criminals would act like this especially when in jail because they are angry with the world. At this point Johnathan was no different from all the other murders. But as time passed he calmed down and started to listen and be …show more content…
On the day of his execution Nobles told the victims’ families how truly sorry he was and if he could take it all back he would. He said all of this in tears. He then proceeds to read a verse out of the bible and sing a song till the injection killed him. This action shows how much he really was changed and how much he regretted his actions. Had he have really been a monster, his last words would have been different. For example, the famous serial killer, Jeffery Dahmer, said “I don’t care if I live or die. Go ahead and kill me”. Instead Noble shows true sorrow for his mistakes