The Walls Prison Break–50 Years Later
Questions linger about Fred Gomez Carrasco’s escape attempt and the killings that followed.
Criminal Justice
Editor’s Letter: Introducing Our July/August Issue
A note from the interim editor-in-chief
Shaping the Narrative: Nate Blakeslee Discusses a Pivotal Moment in Observer History
Blakeslee sought to elevate the Texas Observer’s writing while righting wrongs in Tulia and throughout the state.
Powerful Words from Texans Trapped in Solitary Confinement
Texas disappears more people in long-term solitary cells than all other states and the federal system combined.
An Unwinnable Drug War
Threats to deploy U.S. troops to Mexico ignore an appalling reality that has already been a disaster for both nations.
Some Texas Prisoners Allowed Only Four Hours of Sleep a Night, Lawsuit Says
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with a man incarcerated at the Estelle Unit who has been suing over his sleep schedule for a decade.
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An Open Letter to Richard Linklater on Our Texas Death Penalty
Capital punishment ensnares us all in a labyrinth of our own making, as your new film poignantly reveals.
In the Ogg House: Harris County DA Ousted in Primary
Challenger Sean Teare handily took out the embattled two-term incumbent Kim Ogg.
Texas Rangers Investigation Sheds Light on Dallas Judge’s ‘Bizarre’ Behavior
Dallas County Judge Amber Givens was accused of having her court coordinator impersonate her during a 2021 Zoom bond hearing, prompting a Rangers inquiry.