Tag Archives: Death Penalty
Lining Up a Conviction
A suggestive photo lineup put Juan Balderas on death row. Experts say he may have been wrongfully convicted, but will he get a new trial in time?
A suggestive photo lineup put Juan Balderas on death row. Experts say he may have been wrongfully convicted, but will he get a new trial in time?...Read More
The 10 Best Observer Stories of 2016: ‘The First Time Texas Killed One of My Clients’
An attorney pieces together a life cut short.
Editor’s Note: It’s hard to find new ways to write about the death penalty. And in these polarized times, most readers already have their minds made up....Read More
Social Media Ban Could Curb Free Speech Behind Bars
Prison reform activists say a new social media policy inside Texas prisons could keep both prisoners and advocates from talking about life on the inside....Read More
The Draw of Death Row
With “dark tourism” on the rise, Huntsville’s prison museum is thriving.
The gift shop offers shirts honoring the electric chair: "Home of Old Sparky," and the museum's visitors get a 'selectively edited' history of corrections....Read More
The First Time Texas Killed One of My Clients
An attorney pieces together a life cut short.
A death row attorney recalls what it was like to piece together a life cut short by poverty, racial inequality and capital punishment....Read More
State of Texas: Who We Kill
According to data collected by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, an unsurprising trend has emerged among death row inmates, the majority of whom are bla...Read More
The Moral Indefensibility of Death Row
Alex Hannaford’s cover story this month shows an alarming correlation between trauma that happens to adolescent boys, the biological damage it does to their b...Read More
Letters from Death Row: The Biology of Trauma
New studies show that trauma biologically alters the brains of young boys in ways that affect their adult behavior.
Texas executes more of its citizens—almost all of them men—than any other state. New studies show that trauma biologically alters the brains of young boys i...Read More
Letters from Death Row: Faith Behind Bars
An informal Observer survey finds complex religious beliefs among death row inmates.
Solitary confinement forces many inmates to do a lot of soul-seeking, but despite the misconceptions, not all death row inmates turn to religion for solace. In ...Read More