Tag Archives: Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Texas Judge Dismisses Trans Prisoner’s Lawsuit Seeking Gender Confirmation Surgery
Vanessa Lynn Gibson said that "the reality of the situation is emotionally devastating, and I won’t lie, I was so mad I couldn’t stop crying."...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
No Place for Old Men
Texas prisons are filling up with the old and the ill — at enormous expense.
Texas prisons are filling up with the old and the ill — at enormous expense....Read More
Baby Steps on Trans Health Care
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has quietly made it easier for transgender prisoners to access hormone therapy and other medically necessary hea...Read More
Why This Texan Won’t Be Celebrating Juneteenth This Year
With Juneteenth approaching, now’s a good time to consider the living legacy of slavery in our state. ...Read More
Execution Drugs to be State Secret Under Legislation Headed to Governor
Proponents of a bill shielding execution drug manufacturers from public scrutiny rely on flimsy “threats” as justification
Manufacturers of execution drugs will be shielded from public scrutiny, helping to keep Texas’ capital punishment machine in working order, under a bill heade...Read More
Letters from Death Row: Books Behind Bars
As part of an in-depth project for The Texas Observer, I wanted to find out what books inmates on death row read, and what this said—if anything—about their...Read More
Strange Days for Texas’ Death Penalty
Texas' shortage of death penalty drugs has created a strange situation in a state where there's still strong support for the death penalty—and most people eve...Read More