When Freedom Costs More Than a Conviction Last week, I wrote about what happens when mental illness and Blackness collide inside a jail — how crisis becomes criminalized, how symptoms become charges, how the system responds with punishment instead of care. But the exploitation doesn’t stop at the jail door. It follows people into the… Continue reading The Modern Courtroom: Chains You Don’t See
Author: Sonya
Treatment Denied, Arrest Delivered
When Mental Illness Meets Blackness Behind Bars When I wrote through January, I kept coming back to the same truth: so many of the in‑custody deaths we see begin long before anyone steps into a jail. They start with untreated mental illness, with crises that get met by police instead of clinicians, with families calling… Continue reading Treatment Denied, Arrest Delivered
The System Didn’t Break; It Was Built This Way
Every February, America dusts off its favorite Black icons, recites a few safe quotes, shows a few movies with popular Black actors and calls it Black History Month. But Black history isn’t something we visit once a year. It’s something we’re still living — in our laws, in our courtrooms, in our jails, and in… Continue reading The System Didn’t Break; It Was Built This Way
A System Working as Designed
How America Turned Jails Into Psychiatric Facilities — and Called the Deaths Inevitable When the largest psychiatric facility in Texas is a jail, the deaths stop looking like anomalies and start looking like the system working exactly as designed. Another person died in the Harris County Jail this month. Another headline. Another set of familiar… Continue reading A System Working as Designed
Documented. Repeated. Ignored.
That’s Harris County Jail in a nutshell. The inspections, the deaths, the repeated failures — all documented in public records — and yet the system continues to operate below the minimum standard for human safety. This isn’t a system struggling.This is a system refusing to meet the bare minimum required to keep people alive.This is… Continue reading Documented. Repeated. Ignored.
A Jail, Not a Graveyard
There are some things a community should never grow used to. Death inside a county jail is one of them. Yet here we are — watching the same headlines cycle through our feeds, hearing the same recycled explanations from officials, witnessing the same failures repeat year after year. If this were once or twice, maybe… Continue reading A Jail, Not a Graveyard
The Question He Couldn’t Answer — and Why
I’m still planning my blog year — discerning what I want my voice to hold and what I want to pour into. But some stories don’t wait for your calendar. Some moments insist on being named while they’re still warm. And before I could settle into any goals or themes for the year, today reminded… Continue reading The Question He Couldn’t Answer — and Why
Standing in the Gap: Reflections From a Defense Attorney
As I thought about how to close out this year, I kept thinking about the moments that stretched me, steadied me, and pulled me deeper into the work — in the courtroom and beyond it. This year reminded me that practicing law is never just about statutes or strategy, but it’s about people. Real people.… Continue reading Standing in the Gap: Reflections From a Defense Attorney
Justice: The Bridge Between Faith and Advocacy
As the holiday season unfolds, I’ve been reflecting on the deeper rhythms of faith. Beyond the lights and traditions, this time of year reminds me that justice is the heartbeat of scripture and that advocacy is one way we live that faith out loud. Justice in Scripture From the prophets to the gospels, justice is… Continue reading Justice: The Bridge Between Faith and Advocacy
When Justice and Compassion Collide
Reflections on balancing duty, empathy and humanity in the hardest cases I’m currently handling a case involving child sexual abuse material (CSAM). CSAM refers to images or videos that depict the sexual abuse of minors. Preparing for trial in a matter like this has been one of the most emotionally challenging experiences of my career.… Continue reading When Justice and Compassion Collide
On (In)justice 