Bringing a Human Perspective to the Game
Dear Supporters,
As we enter the winter season and embark on this time of reflection and thanks-giving, I wanted to share a video about our team at Texas Defender Service. These are the people who dedicate their careers to saving lives and reuniting families here in Texas, the epicenter of mass incarceration on the planet.
This year alone, our team saved seven people from execution or death sentence, poured 11,196 hours into investigating the life histories of our clients, spent 613 hours providing intensive legal consultation to trial and post-conviction capital teams across the State of Texas, and took on the representation of four clients who were sentenced to mandatory life without parole sentences when they were children.
Our team advocates for the humanity of the unseen and the unheard. They do so with incredible grace, kindness, and dedication to those they serve. As exoneree Anthony Graves says of our team in this video, “They are bringing a human perspective to the game.”
In a carceral system that seeks to erase the humanity of all who come before it, this is, in itself, a profound act of justice.
With gratitude,
Burke Butler
Executive Director
Texas Defender Service
