Search About Newsletters Donate
Inside the execution chamber at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas.

Death Penalty

KADIR VAN LOHUIZEN/NOOR
Closing Argument
Biden Has 65 Days Left in Office. Here’s What He Can Do on Criminal Justice.
Judicial appointments and the death penalty are among areas where a lame-duck administration can still leave a mark.
U.S. President Joe Biden sits in a white chair in a navy suit with his hands clasped in front of him.
Robert Roberson, a light-skinned man wearing a white prison uniform, looks through visitation room glass. A phone hangs on either side of the divider.
Closing Argument September 18
Robert Roberson’s Death Penalty Case Shows How Justice System Fails People With Autism
He was convicted in his daughter’s death. Those who believe he’s innocent argue his diagnosis helps explain how he ended up facing execution.
By
A photo of nine people holding red signs with dates and names in front of a white, columned marble building.
Feature September 17
Could People Facing the Death Penalty Lose the Right to Tell Juries Their Life Stories?
Some defense lawyers fear that a conservative Supreme Court could overturn that precedent.
By Joe Sexton
A collage shows a color photo of a young White man with glasses and brown hair looking to the side while sitting down. In the foreground and out of focus, two men speak with each other. Around the photo are illustrations depicting a sonogram and brain scan, and photos of a middle-aged White man at a podium and of a memorial with candles and photos.
Feature September 17
5 Things to Know About How the Parkland Shooter’s Life Was Spared
Key takeaways from our investigation into how Nikolas Cruz’s defense team convinced jurors not to impose the death penalty.
By Joe Sexton
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey speaks during a conference at the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City on Aug. 1, 2024. Bailey has aggressively pushed back on efforts by local prosecutors and judges to toss out convictions of people with innocence claims.
Closing Argument August 17
How Prosecutors Fight Exonerations
As laws are passed to support the wrongfully convicted, some officials in the legal system push back.
By
The cover of News Inside Issue 17. You can download the PDF <a href="https://d63kb4t2ifcex.cloudfront.net/upload/assets/news-inside-issue-17.pdf" target="_blank">here.</a>
News Inside August 1
Drawing Attention
News Inside Issue 17 features the opinions of justice-affected people on Trump’s felonies, and a nonfiction comic about death penalty mitigation.
By
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event at George Mason University in Manassas, Virginia on Jan. 23, 2024.
Closing Argument July 27
What These Decisions Tell Us About Kamala Harris’ Approach to Criminal Justice
From the death penalty to school truancy and diversion programs, here are some key steps Harris took as a district attorney and attorney general.
By
A light-skinned Hispanic man with close-cropped hair and tattoos on his arms uses the phone at the Polunsky Unit prison facility.
Death Sentences June 27
This Doctor Helped Send Ramiro Gonzales to Death Row. Now He’s Changed His Mind.
Texas plans to execute Gonzales this week even though the expert witness says he isn’t a ‘threat to society.’
By and
A light-skinned Hispanic man with close-cropped hair and tattoos on his arms uses the phone at the Polunsky Unit prison facility.
Life Inside June 24
A Death Row Prisoner’s Parting Interview
Days before his scheduled execution in Texas, Ramiro Gonzales speaks on faith, legacy — and apologizing to the family of his victim, Bridget Townsend.
By
An illustration shows a bearded Black man, wearing a kufi cap and red prison uniform, holding up a phone to his ear. While on the phone, he writes lyrics onto a notebook.
Life Inside May 31
I Recorded a Whole Hip-Hop Album on a Death Row Telephone
In this new book excerpt, incarcerated rapper Alim “RRome Alone” Braxton describes his early attempts to record vocals over a phone in the dayroom.
By Alim Braxton and Mark Katz
About
People
Jobs
Sitemap
Funders