Texas Defender Service

TDS accomplishes its mission through three programs: direct representation, policy reform, and public education. In the direct representation program, TDS represents people imprisoned in Texas because of extreme punishments, from the death penalty to life sentences for third-degree felonies, and advocates for people seeking a second chance through the parole system. TDS fights for our client's right to a second chance, focusing on cases that highlight how excessive punishments fuel mass incarceration, perpetrate injustice, and fail to serve public safety. Through the policy reform program, TDS advocates for local and state-wide reforms that will end excessive punishment and shrink mass incarceration in the Lone Star State. See Schedule O for continued detailsTDS' public education program uses storytelling about our clients' experiences to educate the public about how excessive sentences are cruel, extreme, and unnecessary. We make visible the damage that mass incarceration wreaks, so often hidden from the public eye. Shifting the narrative about those impacted by mass incarceration, we teach Texans about the vital importance of compassion and second chances.