Horses graze in front of the Polunsky Unit, outside of Livingston in East Texas.

The Prison Inside Prison

Texas has banished hundreds of prisoners to more than a decade of solitary confinement. Many of these prisoners aren’t sure how—or, in some cases, if—they will ever get out.

by Michael Barajas

Russell Johnson with his family.

Death in Solitary

Russell Johnson’s sister warned officials that nearly three years in solitary confinement had broken him. His suicide in isolation two months later points to compounded crises inside Texas prisons.

by Michael Barajas

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