Established in 1995, TDS' mission is to promote a fair and just criminal justice system in Texas, with an emphasis on improving the quality of representation in death penalty cases. TDS approaches this goal through the lens of the Texas capital punishment system and strives to expose and eradicate the systemic flaws plaguing the Texas death penalty.

TDS strives towards its mission through three core programs: (1) post-conviction litigation, crisis case intervention, and consulting; (2) trial litigation, attorney training, and consulting; and (3) policy reform, which includes issue advocacy, research and writing, and public education. TDS engages in a synergistic mix of high-quality litigation to expose injustices in cases with systemic impact potential, training to arm defense attorneys across the state and country with the tools necessary to effectively advocate for their clients, and issue advocacy resulting from the documentation of systemic flaws through its litigation program.

It is axiomatic that any serious attempt to improve the fairness of the death penalty in the United States must address Texas. Since reinstatement, more than one-third of all U.S. executions have been carried out in Texas. The data and anecdotes provided by TDS – which are discovered through TDS’ litigation work – continue to push shifts in public opinion and policy. These stories are uncovered largely because of TDS’ efforts, and without it, cases rife with systemic failures will not be discovered.

While the prosecution of capital cases in Texas has oversight, direct service delivery, and support through county-based prosecution offices and the Office of the Attorney General, there is no parallel public office staffed and funded to defend these cases and provide consistent resources and expertise. This institutional imbalance is a deficiency that challenges Texas’ ability to fulfill its statutory and moral guarantee that all defendants facing the death penalty are well-represented. TDS was established by experienced Texas death penalty attorneys who understand the inextricable link between the quality of representation and the risk of wrongful or unfair convictions and sentences.

TDS publishes reports on the administration of capital punishment to educate the public and decision makers across the state. We build campaigns for reform integrating other organizations and engage in advocacy aimed at broad systemic policy reform. TDS works extensively with regional, state, and national organizations concerned with ensuring that the Texas death penalty system produces fair and accurate results.