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prison conditions

Solidarity from Solitary and Beyond

Texans are organizing inside and outside of prisons to empower incarcerated workers, who labor in dangerous conditions without pay.

by Michelle Pitcher

Keep Reading

Texas’ Plantation Prisons: Inside a 200-Year History of Forced Labor Shrouded in Secrecy

by Josephine Lee and Michelle Pitcher

Taking Prison to Court: Fighting for the Right to Sleep

by Michelle Pitcher

‘There Have to Be Limits’: Lawsuit Urges Scorching Prisons to Cool Down

by Michelle Pitcher

Apr 02, 2024

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.

by Michelle Pitcher

A stock photo of a GPS monitoring anklet, such as the kind used by people on probation or parole in Texas. It's worn on the ankle, above a brown hiking boot and looks a little like a smartwatch with a blank screen. Jun 15, 2023

Life with Parole

Probation and parole systems remain understaffed and buggy in Texas.

by Michelle Pitcher

Feb 25, 2021

Clogged Toilets, Snow Inside: How the Winter Storm Exacerbated Problems in Texas Lock-Ups

After the near-total collapse of the state’s electric grid, many jails and prisons lacked heat and running water.

by Arya Sundaram

Inside this month's print issue

Editor’s Letter: Introducing Our May/June 2025 Issue

A note from the editor-in-chief

Keep Reading

The Magazine

Aug 19, 2015

The Truth About How Pregnant Women Are Treated in Texas County Jails

by Alexa Garcia-Ditta

pigs Aug 21, 2013

TDCJ Pork Story Undercooked

by Jo DePrang

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