This series began with a clear aim: to expose the scale of incarceration in Texas and Alabama, trace its historical roots, and humanize its impact. Over six posts, I’ve examined how these two states—distinct in history but aligned in consequence—embody the extremes of systemic injustice. Texas revealed the machinery: sprawling prisons, harsh sentencing, and the… Continue reading TX-AL Series Finale Preview
No Hearing, No YMAC, Still Mercy
The Case That Almost Got Away My first appointed felony client is one I'll never forget. He was barely 18. Already on a six-year deferred probation. Already carrying two new state jail felony thefts. Already written off by the system. But he asked for YMAC—Young Men About Change. Not because he thought he deserved it.… Continue reading No Hearing, No YMAC, Still Mercy
Southern Sentences, Post 3: Heat, Hunger and Healthcare & Healthcare Behind Bars
Heat, Hunger, and Healthcare: The Human Cost of Texas Prisons Texas prisons are not just sites of confinement—they are crucibles of suffering. In the sweltering summer months, many facilities lack air conditioning, subjecting incarcerated individuals to deadly heat. Temperatures routinely exceed 100 degrees, and the physical toll is compounded by inadequate access to water, ventilation,… Continue reading Southern Sentences, Post 3: Heat, Hunger and Healthcare & Healthcare Behind Bars
🩺Reproductive Injustice Behind Bars: Mercy Denied, Mercy Demanded
Behind bars, women carry more than sentences.They carry children. Trauma. Grief. And the weight of a system that was never built to honor their bodies. Reproductive injustice in carceral settings is not just medical neglect—it’s institutional violence. It shows up in ways both brutal and banal: Feminine hygiene neglect: Pads and tampons are rationed, bartered,… Continue reading 🩺Reproductive Injustice Behind Bars: Mercy Denied, Mercy Demanded
Southern Sentences, Post 2: Chains of the Past & From Plantation to Prison
Chains of the Past: How Texas Built Its Prison Empire on Slavery and Segregation Texas’s prison system didn’t emerge in a vacuum—it was built atop the foundations of slavery, segregation, and racialized punishment. The state’s earliest carceral institutions mirrored plantation life, with incarcerated Black men forced to labor in fields under brutal conditions1. Convict leasing,… Continue reading Southern Sentences, Post 2: Chains of the Past & From Plantation to Prison
Sword in Hand🗡️: When Mercy Wears a Smile
Some cases come heavy. Others come absurd. This one came with a sword. My client—a convicted felon—was charged with deadly conduct. The facts? A man was in his backyard. My client didn’t know why. He couldn’t legally carry a gun, so he grabbed the only thing he had: a sword. He didn’t raise it. Didn’t… Continue reading Sword in Hand🗡️: When Mercy Wears a Smile
Southern Sentences, Post 1: Lone Star Lockdown & Behind Bars, Beyond Justice
Lone Star Lockdown: The Scale and Scope of Texas Incarceration “In Texas, punishment isn’t just policy—it’s culture.” With over 120 state prisons and one of the highest incarceration rates in the country, Texas stands as a towering example of mass incarceration’s reach. As of 2024, Texas incarcerates over 135,000 people1—more than any other state except… Continue reading Southern Sentences, Post 1: Lone Star Lockdown & Behind Bars, Beyond Justice
Southern Sentences: A Comparative Journey Through Texas and Alabama’s Carceral Systems
This seven-part series explores the shared roots, conditions, and consequences of incarceration in two Southern states that exemplify the extremes of systemic injustice—Texas and Alabama. Through this series, I aim to expose the scale of the crisis, trace the historical roots, humanize its impact and envision a path toward justice and redemption. Texas, with its… Continue reading Southern Sentences: A Comparative Journey Through Texas and Alabama’s Carceral Systems
No Conviction, No Peace
Memoir from the margins of justice He was charged with assault. The court granted a personal recognizance bond. But he didn’t go home. A parole hold kept him in custody. From day one, he maintained his innocence. And from day one, the system stalled. No pending date from parole. That was contingent on the case… Continue reading No Conviction, No Peace
Not Designed to Heal: The Gender Gap in Correctional Medicine
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 There is a kind of peace the system cannot manufacture—a healing that transcends medication,… Continue reading Not Designed to Heal: The Gender Gap in Correctional Medicine
On (In)justice 