The Distance Between Dying and Death
Jamaal Howard is set to die this Wednesday, the first scheduled U.S. execution after one was badly botched in Tennessee. As his spiritual advisor, I'll be in the room with him.
Death Penalty
Exploring the Rise, Fall, and Lingering Trauma of the Death Penalty in Texas
In his new book, journalist Maurice Chammah ties Texas' embrace of capital punishment to the state's frontier mythos.
On Rodney Reed Case, Greg Abbott Gets a Political Reprieve
A last-minute court intervention relieved political pressure on the Texas governor, who was ultimately able to keep his capital punishment bona fides intact.
Death Penalty Reform Bill Gets Watered Down to ‘Nothing’ Before Passing Senate
After passing the House, HB 1139, meant to reform how Texas decides whether a defendant is too intellectually disabled to execute, was significantly softened in Senate committee.
The Dissenter
Texas’ highest criminal court turned Elsa Alcala into one of the state’s most prominent death penalty critics.
A New Crime Novel Asks Tough Questions About Revenge and Redemption
Texas Innocence Network founder David Dow’s first foray into fiction explores the trauma of a wrongful conviction.
The Tattooed Star of the ‘Progressive Prosecutor’ Movement Braces for His First Death Penalty Trial
Mark Gonzalez wants a jury to help him decide whether Nueces County should keep sending people to death row.
State-Sanctioned Secrecy Shields Texas’ Death Penalty Machine from Scrutiny
New revelations about the source of Texas’ execution drugs underscore the risks of capital punishment shrouded in secrecy.
Ken Paxton’s Strange Quest to Execute an Intellectually Disabled Man
Prosecutors have agreed to spare Bobby Moore’s life due to his intellectual disability. Texas’ highest criminal court and top legal official want to kill him anyway.
Who Gets Mercy on Death Row? Chris Young’s Execution Raises Questions of Racial Bias
The clemency process is a black box — one where hearings are rarely held and decisions are never really explained, making it nearly impossible to prove bias.