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An illustration shows a man shouting behind the window of a prison cell, while smoke and fire billows out of it. The window forms the eyepiece of a set of blinders being worn by a prison guard. Static is shown coming out of a walkie talkie worn by the prison guard.
Feature May 9
Burned to Death in a Prison Cell
After years of warnings about broken fire alarms, two men have now died in blazes at Texas prisons.
By Keri Blakinger
A photo illustration shows Governor Greg Abbott's face torn in half, with one half of his face brighter and the other half of his face slightly darker. There is also an image of migrants crossing the Rio Grande River, a portion of a spreadsheet showing border security costs, powdered fentanyl near hundred dollar bills, and torn sections of trees and sky.
Analysis April 27
Reality Check: 7 Times Texas Leaders Misled the Public About Operation Lone Star
As reporters investigated Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s border initiative, they repeatedly found instances where Abbott and DPS officials cited accomplishments that lacked crucial context or were misleading. Here are a few examples.
By Lomi Kriel and Perla Trevizo, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, Kengo Tsutsumi, ProPublica and Andrew Rodriguez Calderón, The Marshall Project
Chris Morton, a man with light-toned skin and wearing a blue suit jacket and tie, stands near a window.
Feature April 21
Crime Stoppers of Houston Has a Tip: Vote Out These Judges
The historically nonpartisan nonprofit took millions of dollars from the Republican governor. Now it’s targeting Democratic judges.
By David Fahrenthold, The New York Times, and Keri Blakinger, The Marshall Project
News April 4
Texas Border Operation’s Largest Share of Arrests: Trespassing On Private Property
About 40% of people arrested by Operation Lone Star over seven months face only this charge. They often spend months in prison, but the tactic does not appear to have slowed migration.
BY Jolie Mccullough, The Texas Tribune
Feature March 21
Texas Says Its Multi-Billion Dollar Border Operation Is Working. The Evidence Tells a Different Story.
Arrests of U.S. citizens hundreds of miles from the border. Drug busts from across the state. Changing statistics. The data Texas Gov. Greg Abbott uses to boast about Operation Lone Star raises more questions than answers.
BY Lomi Kriel AND Perla Trevizo, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, Andrew Rodriguez Calderón AND Keri Blakinger
A photo illustration shows overlapping vertical bars, with a background of barbed wire. Several of the vertical bars have images, including of fencing, a man in handcuffs, a man lying on a bed in a cell, and people in a prison.
Inside Out March 17
Do Texas Prison Conditions Violate Human Rights Standards? One Scottish Court Says Yes
Tiny cells, lacking medical treatment and sweltering conditions cited by judge who blocked extradition.
By Keri Blakinger
Melissa Lucio, who has long brown hair and is wearing a white prison uniform, sits behind glass at a prison.
Death Sentences February 24
How Melissa Lucio Went From Abuse Survivor to Death Row
Why some trauma victims are more likely to take responsibility for crimes, even when they may be innocent.
By Maurice Chammah
Feature February 10
The Rise and Fall of a Prison Town Queen
A family feud over drugs, money and fried fish roils the heart of the Texas prison system.
By Keri Blakinger
Terence Andrus, wearing a white prison uniform, looks through glass. A phone hangs on either side of the divider.
Death Sentences February 1
They Went to Prison as Kids. Now They’re on Death Row.
Fight clubs, solitary confinement and neglect make juveniles angrier and more violent.
By Keri Blakinger and Maurice Chammah
Known to his listeners as “Megamind,” Ramy Hozaifeh is the voice — and the driving force — behind a new radio station run from inside one of the most notorious prisons in Texas.
Death Sentences December 20, 2021
The Prisoner-Run Radio Station That’s Reaching Men on Death Row
They can’t go to classes or prison jobs, and they don’t have tablets or televisions. But they do have radios.
By Keri Blakinger
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