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prisoners

Elmer Wayne Henley, a bald white man, is seen resting his head on his hand as he speaks into a telephone handset during a prison interview.

Notorious Houston Serial Killer Requests Compassionate Release

Elmer Wayne Henley, Jr is currently serving six life sentences for participating in a murder, rape, and torture ring when he was a teenager.

by Lise Olsen

Keep Reading

State of Texas: Behind Bars with a Mental Illness

by Alexa Garcia-Ditta and Teresa Mioli

State of Texas: Who We Kill

by Joe Cutbirth

The Moral Indefensibility of Death Row

by Joe Cutbirth

Jun 22, 2015

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.

by Alex Hannaford

Jun 12, 2015

Letters from Death Row: Faith Behind Bars

An informal Observer survey finds complex religious beliefs among death row inmates.

by Alex Hannaford

Apr 23, 2015

World’s Largest For-Profit Prison Blasted in Federal Audit

by Forrest Wilder

Inside this month's print issue

Molly Ivins on School Vouchers (1997)

Another bad idea whose time has come in the Texas Legislature is upon us. It's time to revive my old proposal that Texas be made into a national laboratory for bad government. Having a bad idea in your state? Come to Texas and see how it works out in practice.

Keep Reading

The Magazine

Mar 16, 2015

Letters from Death Row: Alone on the Inside

In an informal Observer survey, death row inmates describe a world of extreme isolation, where mental illness is both cause and symptom.

by Alex Hannaford

Jan 09, 2015

Letters from Death Row: Books Behind Bars

by Alex Hannaford

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