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5mo ago

Texas Death Row Recreation Pilot Shows Promise but Expansion Stalled

Officials have not set a timeline for a second recreation pod despite 18 months without an incident.

Death row prisoner Ronald Ray Howard, 23, and an unidentified prisoner play basketball April 21, 1997 in the exercise area of the old death row unit, where prisoners had more privileges.
Eugene Broxton, who was sentenced to death for a 1991 killing in Harris County, is among the prisoners selected to participate in the new group recreation program.
Rudy Medrano is still adjusting to his new privileges -- including walking out of his cell without handcuffs -- after he was selected to participate in the death row group recreation program.
The old Ellis Unit death row in Huntsville is shown here in 1997, a year before seven condemned inmates tried to escape from the facility. 

Overview

  • Launched early last year under former warden Daniel Dickerson to give select inmates communal meals, TV access and prayer circles.
  • The pilot was prompted by a 2023 federal lawsuit alleging unconstitutional death row conditions and human rights violations.
  • Texas Department of Criminal Justice officials report no fights, drug seizures or disciplinary incidents in 18 months.
  • Participants and staff describe improved mental health and a restored sense of humanity after decades in near-total isolation.
  • A second recreation pod opened briefly in early 2025 but closed without explanation and has no scheduled reopening.