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Death Row

U.S. President Joe Biden sits in a white chair in a navy suit with his hands clasped in front of him.
Closing Argument November 16
Biden Has 65 Days Left in Office. Here’s What He Can Do on Criminal Justice.
Judicial appointments and the death penalty are among areas where a lame-duck administration can still leave a mark.
By
Robert Roberson, a light-skinned man wearing a white prison uniform, looks through visitation room glass. A phone hangs on either side of the divider.
Closing Argument September 18
Robert Roberson’s Death Penalty Case Shows How Justice System Fails People With Autism
He was convicted in his daughter’s death. Those who believe he’s innocent argue his diagnosis helps explain how he ended up facing execution.
By
The cover of News Inside Issue 17. You can download the PDF <a href="https://d63kb4t2ifcex.cloudfront.net/upload/assets/news-inside-issue-17.pdf" target="_blank">here.</a>
News Inside August 1
Drawing Attention
News Inside Issue 17 features the opinions of justice-affected people on Trump’s felonies, and a nonfiction comic about death penalty mitigation.
By
A light-skinned Hispanic man with close-cropped hair and tattoos on his arms uses the phone at the Polunsky Unit prison facility.
Life Inside June 24
A Death Row Prisoner’s Parting Interview
Days before his scheduled execution in Texas, Ramiro Gonzales speaks on faith, legacy — and apologizing to the family of his victim, Bridget Townsend.
By
An illustration shows a bearded Black man, wearing a kufi cap and red prison uniform, holding up a phone to his ear. While on the phone, he writes lyrics onto a notebook.
Life Inside May 31
I Recorded a Whole Hip-Hop Album on a Death Row Telephone
In this new book excerpt, incarcerated rapper Alim “RRome Alone” Braxton describes his early attempts to record vocals over a phone in the dayroom.
By Alim Braxton and Mark Katz
Analysis December 20, 2023
Some of Our Best Work of 2023
In podcasts, broadcasts and narrative stories, we examined prison conditions, prosecutions of pregnant women, Dungeons & Dragons on death row, and more.
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Feature December 18, 2023
The Mercy Workers, Illustrated
Her mission was to save him from death row — by telling the story of his life.
Reported and written by
Illustrated by Jackie Roche
Development by
Feature December 15, 2023
Old-School Hair Analysis Is Junk Science. But It Still Keeps People Behind Bars
The technique, developed before DNA testing, can’t definitively tie suspects to crime scenes. Try explaining that to juries — or some judges.
By Rene Ebersole
A magazine called News Inside set against a grainy grey backdrop. The cover says “When Wizards and Orcs Came to Death Row.” Light refracted through prison bars shines onto the magazine.
News Inside December 7, 2023
More to Explore in Expanded News Inside
Issue 15 branches out with a special section for people incarcerated in Ohio.
By
A Dungeons and Dragons book titled “Dungeon Master’s Guide” sits atop a pile of scattered maps and drawings. Many of the hand-drawn maps are sketched on graph paper. Some pages contain details in color, and others are drawn in black-and-white.
Feature August 31, 2023
When Wizards and Orcs Came to Death Row
For men awaiting execution in Texas, illicit games of Dungeons & Dragons became a lifeline.
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