When a Death Penalty ‘Volunteer’ Changes His Mind
Richard Tabler is scheduled to be executed February 13, making him the second person set to be killed by the state in 2025.
Criminal Justice
The Wages of Inequality—Behind Bars
Because the state refuses to pay us for our labor, incarcerated women rely on money from the outside to get by.
Taking Prison to Court: Fighting for the Right to Sleep
Michael Garrett sued the Texas Department of Criminal Justice more than a decade ago, and he’s working from inside to keep the case alive.
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.
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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.
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.