A Delinquent Boy's Own Story By Clifford Shaw Summary

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The Jack Roller A Delinquent Boy’s Own Story by Clifford Shaw tells the story of a Polish immigrant named Stanley who only know misery and sorrow. Throughout the book, Stanley talks about his life and the crimes that he committed as a youth. When he was just four years old his mother passed away, leaving his father to take care of three children. After his mother’s death, his father became an alcoholic and remarried. His new wife was a woman who had seven children of her own. He married her just so he would have someone to take care of his own children. They did not have a proper living arraignment; in fact, twelve people were stuck sharing four rooms in a basement. Stanley’s father did not provide any love for his children, but he did give …show more content…

Which may have been the reason why Stanley was not placed into a new home like his siblings. Although I highly doubt it because when he was first caught for truancy and running away from home he asked the court if he could live with the Irish women who he had been living with at the time, but the judge said no and order him to go back home with his stepmother. Stanley then continued to run away until the judge sentenced him to the dentition center. After he went home from doing time he kept running away and stealing food because he wanted to go back to the center because it provided him a warm place to sleep and food to it and he was not being abused by his stepmother there. Once again, he was taken to the dentition center and then brought before the judge. This time the judge sent him to the Chicago parental school; here Stanley made friends and learned about more serious crimes like jack-rolling. After leaving the school Stanley went to live with his step sister, but he quickly got bored and went back to the streets. The third-time Stanley went before the judge he was sent to Saint Charles training school for boys. Training schools back in the late 1920’s and early 30’s were not what they should have been; if the boys did not obey they would be beaten or they would have to do a strenuous activity. Those schools back then would have been considered cruel and unusual punishment. Today training schools are

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