The Health Penalty
At a North Texas prison, one nurse practitioner racked up more than 20 federal lawsuits over alleged medical mistreatment. The patients’ stories illuminate a healthcare system that often seems like another form of punishment.
Michelle Pitcher
Michelle Pitcher is a staff writer at the Texas Observer covering criminal justice, housing, and education. She received her master’s in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley and was part of the team at The Marshall Project that won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting. Her reporting has been featured on NPR, FiveThirtyEight, The Dallas Morning News, and more. Michelle was born and raised in Dallas and is now based in Austin.
Articles by Michelle Pitcher
Police ‘Secrecy Grab’ Dies After Senate Refuses Uvalde Compromise
"We’re hopeful that it means it doesn’t come back again, and that we can preserve some level of transparency for all Texans."
Texas Lawmakers Push ‘Massive Secrecy Grab’ to Shield Police Files
As public attention has shifted away from policing reform, legislators attempt to shove information into the dark.
Penned Poetry: A Formerly Incarcerated Activist’s Turn to Verse
Longtime advocate Jorge Antonio Renaud lyricizes the grit of prison life in his first published collection of poems, The Restlessness of Bound Wrists.
Robert Roberson Faces New Execution Date in Controversial ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’ Case
The new date comes after Ken Paxton took over the case that could lead to the nation's first execution based on the contested diagnosis.
Abbott’s Bail Crackdown Meets Mixed Fate in Texas House
The lower chamber approves key pieces—but only pieces—of the governor's pretrial incarceration agenda.
‘You Don’t Have to Kill Us. You Don’t Have to Throw Us Away.’
Clinton Young spent nearly two decades condemned to die. His peaceful, productive time out on bond poses questions about how Texas decides who lives long enough to get another chance.
Texas Set to Execute Fourth Person of the Year on Tuesday
Matthew Johnson was convicted of the 2012 murder of Nancy Harris in Dallas County.
Abbott’s Bail Agenda Could Swell Texas Jails, Test U.S. Constitution
Republicans want to double down on a system that can keep Texans in jail for years without a trial, while attacking bail funds that try to help.
Moises Mendoza to Be Third Person Killed by State of Texas This Year
“We oppose this execution as we do every execution. Capital punishment is an act of state sanctioned violence that violates the sacred dignity of every human life.”