Dear Friends of TDS, I’m thrilled to share some exciting news: Thea Posel has joined Texas Defender Service as our Legal Director. For those who know Thea—or know the history of capital defense in Texas—her joining TDS is especially meaningful. Thea comes to us from University of Texas School of Law’s Capital Punishment Clinic, an institution with […]
Dear Friends of TDS, More than 26 years ago, Michael Highfill was wrongfully convicted of capital murder after witnessing a shooting. He never touched the gun, and he had no idea a shooting was going to happen. He was simply present, in the wrong place at the wrong time, when his eventual co-defendant shot and killed […]
Dear Friend of TDS, For an incarcerated person, their parole review is so much more than a date on the calendar. It elicits stress, excitement, nervousness, and many more emotions, because it means there’s a possibility of going home. A chance to reunite with children who’ve grown up without them. A chance to hold their parent’s […]
Dear Friends, Tina is a grandmother and a mother of four, and this summer, she’s going home. Throughout her life, Tina has faced mental health challenges and sought to self-medicate with drugs. Eventually, she was convicted of credit card abuse and possession of drugs, resulting in a prison sentence. Tina’s adult struggles with substance abuse were […]
Dear Friends, We are thrilled to share that Justin Martinez has joined Texas Defender Service as Senior Policy & Advocacy Manager! Justin will advance our policy agenda, with a focus on legislative and agency-level advocacy, coalition building, public education, and grassroots organizing. Among other projects, Justin will co-lead the Parole Advocacy Coalition of Texas, a grassroots […]
Dear Friends, This Pride Month, we are reminded that the fight for LGBTQ+ equality and the fight against mass incarceration are intertwined. LGBTQ+ people are incarcerated at disproportionately high rates. And once they are inside prison, the harm doesn’t stop. Incarcerated LGBTQ+ people report high rates of abuse, solitary confinement, and denial of medical care. But […]
