December 19, 2025
So, it's been a few crazy busy days. Monday I was supposed to have court and I believed that my hearing had been cancelled and then that same morning a psychologist came to visit me. She will return in January to do a neurological assessment on me which will probably take two days. Well, then on Tuesday afternoon my attorney visited with my mitigation expert and we talked about two hours..My attorney said that they actually had the hearing without me because the SRT's weren't available to get me to court and I was like, that's ridiculous because an SRT had told me around 9am to get ready for court so I don't know what happened. Either way, the hearing went on without me but according to my attorney was of little importance and my next hearing has been scheduled for February 6, 2026.
The next morning on Wednesday I went outside at about 7:50am. It was chilly, gray and super foggy but I was enjoying myself when about 20 minutes later I was told I had another legal visit and it was my mitigation expert. It was a long visit that lasted until after noon! We covered a lot of ground and had some deep conversations on a range of topics. I talked about my plans for a future should I be spared the death penalty and talked about being a Field Minister or Life Coach in prison. How the past few years I have been preparing myself by taking classes on death tow so that I can use those skills I've learned while on death row to hopefully have a chance to be allowed into a program that trains me to be a Field Minister or Life Coach...I just want to give back and help young people in not just rehabilitation and reconciliation but also so that they know that just because they're not free and are stuck in prison their life isn't over. I, myself, could live a fulfilling life doing that even if it meant spending the rest of my own life behind bars. I'm focused and determined to do this. Any ways, it was a good visit and glad I had it.
Yesterday smart communications was here fiddling with the server box and working on things. On Monday I sent them a request asking when they thought we'd have the entertainment, music, movies etc. on the tablet and the reply I received was that we should expect it on the 19th which would be today. That would be awesome if true but I'm also keeping grounded because things are always fluid and change in this place. I mean, when we first received these new tablets they said it would be early November, then before Thanksgiving. I just don't want to be disappointed but the fact remains they have been working on things this week so here's hoping. I want to hear music so badly! I've now gone over 6 weeks without music. You know, I did file a grievance on the fact that we had no books because the inmate hand book says that if we don't have access to books via the tablet - which we don't right now - we should have access to a library cart. We'll see what happens but I'm hoping that by the time the grievance is answered there'll be no need for the book cart.
Actually...we just heard from the tablet people and now they're saying Monday might be the day they add entertainment onto the tablet. Sheeah they are always moving the goal posts... Oh well. Maybe that'll be the holiday gift for us. This could be the first time in decades I’ve not listened to or watched Its A Wonderful Life. That sucks.
Oh well...on with the rest of the weekend.
Courage. Strength. Hope and Faith
Peace
November 27th, 2025
Thanksgiving Day is here and we just had some really good pre-packaged apple pie that they passed out with our lunch. The rest of the lunch was normal so I'm sure everyone is wondering what we will have for dinner later this afternoon. Dinner usually comes in between 4-5 pm so we've got a ways to go.
I'm amazed at how fast this month has gone by. It has felt like one of the fastest months since being back in Dallas and to think about my conviction being over turned a year ago on November 6, 2024...it all feels like yesterday. That day started horribly because Trump had won the presidency and I was not in a good mood at all! However, when I received a message that morning from my Attorney letting me know my conviction was overturned and I'd been granted a new trial everything felt better. The following week I graduated both my A Quest For Authentic Manhood and Bridges To Life Classes. Everything seemed to have really turned around for me and my future felt full of hope. And the thing is, while I sit here in Dallas County Jail awaiting an unknown future, I still feel hopeful and full of gratitude. It's easy to get caught up in my own neurosis and self pity wondering, 'Why me God???' But the reality of it all is that it isn't really all that bad. I am in the less than one percent category of death row inmates that was granted a new trial. There are guys like Robert Roberson fighting life and limb to have the chance that really in all honesty, my lawyers could have easily missed had it been in less keen, aggressive and mediocre hands. Luck, Fate, God? I don't know...but I'm grateful. And so, after today we enter into the holiday season with hope in our hearts as it carries us into a new year.
Yesterday I heard from Kevin Ramsby, the minister who runs the organization, Fight To Forgive. He shared with me some information about death row where he visits regularly. I was shocked to learn that my friend, Field Minister Gary Salinas was shipped to another prison unit in Huntsville, Tx which is about 45 minutes away from Polubsky Unit. I don't know the circumstances of him being shipped but at least he will be closer to his wife who lives in Houston. I hope he will be okay there. Actually, I'm sure that he will be because the unit he went to is mostly older convicts, the food is really good there too! I remember back in 1999 before I was shipped to the Connally Unit I had spent a week there in transit and the first time I went to the chow hall I couldn't believe how good the food was! That first meal was BBQ Chicken, mashed potatoes, vegges and two HUGE biscuits! The other meals didn't disappoint either. I'm sure Gary will be fine.
Kevin also shared with me that he'd be going back to Polubsky and Death Row for some Christmas services In the coming weeks. He plans to give out hygiene kits to all of the prisoners but he's also been approved to order Popeye's Chicken for the men on death row! That is great. He's also going to show a premiere of a documentary he produced about a death row inmate who was executed, Garcia White, or as we called him, 'Big White'. I'd really like to see this documentary! Big White was a good friend of mine and I'll never forget the day I received a stay of execution - October 4, 2019. I was in the day room moping about early in the morning thinking about dying in six days when he yelled from another day room to get my attention. He asked me how I was holding up and I said not too well...I'll never forget his words. He said, "Hey! Hold your head up! It ain't over and anything can happen. You're going to get a stay!" I told him I appreciated his words, and sure enough, later that afternoon I received a stay! I need to ask Kevin where people can find this documentary. I'd really like to see it.
Well, it's later now and my Thanksgiving meal was hot dogs and beans! I was like, huh? But no complaints. Just weird! Haha
I was thinking earlier about my future and where I'd be in a year or longer and I do hope my legal stuff is resolved. I was also thinking about how strange it is to be doing my holiday single...yeah, I've been single for a few months now. But I have people that care about me and I care about them.
So, on our new tablets we still don't have any movies or music. Who knows when we'll get it but I still wanted to put together a play list from my head to share. Its a bit mellow but still good.
Pain - War On Drugs
Cortez The Killer - Neil Young
By Starlight - The Smashing Pumpkins
Tropic Morning News - The National
Alone - The Cure
Something I Can Never Have - Nine Inch Nails
Carmen - Anything Box
Five String Serenade - Mazzy Star
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses ( album version ) - U2
Calfskin Smack - Cocteau Twins
Videogames - Lana Del Rey
Time And Time Again - The Counting Crows
Walk On The Ocean - Toad The Wet Sprocket
Bittersweet Surrender - Big Head Todd And The Monsters
Enjoy!
On that note I'll wrap this up and wish for better and brighter days ahead!
Courage. Strength. Hope and Faith
Peace
November 2nd, 2025
I can't believe its already November! Time is flying by. This is my last weekend with the securus tablet and in the new week we will have our new smartinmate.com tablets. I think the system will be ' live ' by Wednesday the 5th. A jail guard told me today they planned on taking up the securus tablets tomorrow, issuing the new smartinmate.com tablets on Tuesday but we won't be able to use them until Wednesday. So, the next two days are probably going to be loud and boring. Well, maybe not loud because when guys get super bored they tend to sleep their days away. Now, last night was insanely loud but thank God it was day light savings so I was able to get that extra hour of sleep. The school shooter is still being a menace and it doesn't look like they're going to move him anywhere so I just have to deal with him. I'm surrounded by several characters, though. I have a severely mentally I'll guy on one side of me and he talks and yells to himself at random times of the day. Then I have a Venezuelan guy on the other side of me and he yells, curses in Spanish and sings at the top of his lungs at various times, mostly at night. I'm kind of boxed in and can't do anything about it. The jail used to have a no noise policy at night time and if guys made a bunch of noise they'd threaten to strap them up in this medieval looking restraint chair but they rarely, if never use that thing anymore...I didn't ever approve of them using it because it does look like a torture device, but sometimes the threat of putting someone in it was enough to quieten people down. Now the guards just let the inmates scream and make noise. It is a crazy world I live in.
So, I thought I'd share another play list...this one is a bit of a downer, but its a good one... Here it is :
I Of The Mourning - The Smashing Pumpkins
This Letter - Material Issue So.
Central Rain - R.E.M.
Lost Cause - Beck
Inward - The Big Sleep
So Long, Marianne - Leonard Cohen
Nobody Knows - The Lumineers
Color Me Once - Violent Femmes
Empty - The Cranberries
Your World - The Record Collection
Here's Where The Story Ends - The Sundays
High Above The City - Tim Fleet / Wayne Murphy
The Last Day Of Summer - The Cure
With the new tablets I don't know what kind of music I'll have access to but I'm hoping that I'll be able to still listen to good music and put together good play lists. Well, here's hoping to a blessed month and good things to come.
Courage Strength Hope and Faith
Peace
October 28th, 2025
I can't believe that this month is almost over. October has gone by incredibly fast. Next month and next week will mark the already one year anniversary since the Court Of Criminal Appeals over turned my death sentence and ordered a new trial. It's already been a year and it feels like it just happened a few months ago.
So, last night I ended up getting to sleep around 1am. That's when things settled down and I could get to sleep. You just never know which nights will be calm and which ones will be chaos. I had about six hours of sleep which is better than just a few, so I'll gladly take that. Really, on Tuesdays and Thursdays I'm not so much concerned about how much I sleep I can get because on those days I can always sleep in if need be, but Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I have to wake up early to ensure that I can get recreation and the nights with no sleep make it really hard. With the mornings being cold now guys don't want to get up early to go outside so that means they will get me earlier as well. I need my sleep.
With Halloween coming this Friday I put together a little Halloween themed Playlist I hope people will find fun. I think it works. Here it is:
This Is Halloween - From the Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack
Fear Of Ghosts - The Cure
Voodoo - Godsmack
The Howling Moon - Echo And The Bunnymen
Dirt room - Blue October
Every Day Is Halloween - Ministry
Freak On A Leash - Korn
The Hollow - A Perfect Circle
The Ghost Of You - My Chemical Romance
Halloween In Santa Ana - Milktooth
Hotel California - The Eagles
Howling At The Moon - Phantogram
I Wanna Be Your Dog - The Stooges
( Iggy Pop ) Blood Letting ( the vampire song ) - Concrete Blonde
Dead Man's Party - Oingo Boingo
Spellbound - Siouxie And The Banshees
Dead Souls - Joy Division
Zombie - The Cranberries
Stripped - Depeche Mode
No Return - Alanis Morrisette
I'm curious what people will think. I used to love making mix tapes in the 90's so much and I think I've got a gift for it!
In other news, Dallas County Jail is switching contracts on our tablet that we use from Securus to smartinmate.com on November 4th, 2025. They're going to take our Securus tablets and issue a new one and there's a lot of rumors about what capabilities it'll have. The biggest one is that it'll have video phone capabilities which has me most excited. It'll also have emessaging and other entertainment apps that securus has. If anyone wants to get in contact with me after November 4th it'll be through smartinmate.com. Or one can still use snail mail by writing me at :
Randy
Halprin #25006113
C/O Smart Communications
Dallas Co. North Tower
Detention Facility
P.O.Box 9226
Seminole, Fl 33775- 9226 USA
If you uses snail mail you can only send up to 10 pages of paper and the writing can only be on one side of the paper...Or else the letter will be denied. It would be nice to make new friends in this chapter of my life, I think.
3:03pm So, I paused and exercised and then jumped in the shower and now I'm settling into the afternoon. Dinner usually comes between 4-5pm and after dinner I usually settle into a movie or music. Tonight I'm going to watch the A Quiet Place movies. They're so good and worth checking out if you've never seen them. I even liked A Quiet Place: Day One a lot even though it's really different than the first two.
Well, on with it, I suppose.
Courage Strength Hope And Faith
Peace
October 23rd, 2025
It's a quiet Thursday afternoon and I've just finished exercising and taking a shower. The day in and of itself has been a bit ho hum but I'll take that over the chaos any day. The majority of the noise and chaos comes from a newly turned 18 year old named Tracy Haines...He's in jail for a mass school shooting he allegedly committed when he was 17. Fortunately no one was killed but he has zero remorse. He actually brags about it. He can be a pure menace and has complete and total disregard for anyone around him. I've tried talking to him a few times but I've had difficulty breaking through to him. I am trying to get him to understand the severity of what he did and and have him face the possibility that he could be looking at the rest of his life in prison. That being said, I do think I'm beginning to understand him more and as frustrating and irritating as he can be, I can empathise with him. He has a need to be validated. That's why I think he brags about his crime so much. I also think he was bullied a lot in school. I say that because the kid is like 5' 5". He's tiny! If you heard him without ever seeing him you would think he is 7' tall! I think he was picked on a lot and it would explain his anger. Maybe one of these days I'll break through to him.
The nights have been rough and there's been quite a few days recently that I've not been able to get to sleep until around 3 or 4am...Yesterday I had to pass on going outside because I was just too exhausted to get up. Having days of no sleep can really get me depressed and I pray for this process to end. I just want to get on with it. Some positive things are in the works, though, so we shall see. I wish I could go into detail, but it's too early right now. That being said, I just found out via a jail guard that my next court hearing is scheduled for December 16th. We shall see what news that hearing might be. And if anyone is interested, Fox 4 News out of Dallas has been following my case pretty closely so if you're interested in anything, go there for updates as they happen.
I can't believe that tomorrow is Friday and we're just a week away from Halloween. I'm going to start a new tradition for myself on the 31st and watch Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas...They have it available on my tablet and I figured it would be a good way to kick off the holiday season going into November. Plus, its a cool movie so why not?
Something I wanted to start doing in my journals, maybe once a week, is list some of the music I've been listening to on my tablet. It'll be an algorithm free selection in which anything goes! Maybe some people will discover new music. I love discovering new music and I've done plenty of that since being in Dallas County Jail. Here's the first play list. This one is a bit chill!
Hard To Tell You - Warpaint
Between Two Points - David Gilmour
Dosed - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Bill Murray - Phantogram
Very First Lie - Material Issue
Always You - Lana McDonagh/ Asher Pope
Through Your Eyes - Belinda Cullen
King Of Pain - The Police
Running To Stand Still - U2
Woman In Chains - Tears For Fears
Blue Skies - Lana McDonagh/ Tim Flies
Untitled - The Cure
I'll start there! Enjoy!
Courage Strength Hope and Faith
Peace
October 7th, 2025
The days and weeks have gotten away from me here in Dallas. It's been a weird time and I've been processing a lot! I'm finding a way to navigate this new life which is really just a legal limbo right now. I've had a lot of loss over the past couple of months. A friend on Death Row, Micah Brown, took his own life which hit me a bit harder than I thought it would as it settled in, and I lost one of my closest friends on DR, Blaine, to execution. He was a little brother and I mentored him. He had a lot of personal struggles and demons and I did my best to encourage him and lift him up. I had been so proud of him over these past couple of years. His life really turned around when he joined the faith based program offered on Texas Death Row. It's like I always say, anyone is capable of redemption. I always find it ironic that many people who declare a faith don't believe it though.
Last Friday on the 5th I had court a court hearing. It looks like the judge wants to begin jury selection in November of 2026...followed by voire dire ( that's where the defense and prosecutors question potential jurors for a capital trial ) and then pretrial early spring. She set a date for the trial to begin on April 5th of 2027.I was hoping to return to Polunsky until I was needed for my trial so I wouldn't have to sit in Dallas County Jail this entire time, but my attorney explained to me that because my legal process is starting all over tdcj nor Dallas County jail would be able to accommodate that request. I have less than one year on my original sentence left to do so if I were to return to tdcj they would have me in a different prison than Polunsky under that sentence because I technically have no other sentence right now. I just have to tough it out here for the next year and a half.
The DA office is also still fighting to have my co counsel removed from representing me. I'm not entirely sure why they're so hell bent on having him removed, but I'm fortunate that it seems I have quite a good team as it stands. Fingers crossed and a prayer! My next hearing is scheduled for December 5th. They have been covering my hearings on Dallas's Fox 4 News if anyone wants to follow what's going on. I think you might be able to see me in a suit. The hearing left me feeling a bit drained and I admit, I am disappointed I can't return to Polunsky Unit so I've just got to get on with it and get used to being here until April 2027 even though that feels so far away. I'll be almost 50 years old by that point. I guess the best way to look at it is if I were to receive a life sentence I'd only have 13 years left until I was eligible for parole, though I doubt very seriously TDCJ would ever grant me parole but hey, hope springs eternal, right? The question I ask myself now is...what do I do with my life for the next year and a half? I wish I could do something positive and productive. I was hoping on getting back into classes and working on preparing for a possible future. I'll probably focus on some writing projects.
I'm not getting much sleep these days because it can get so loud and crazy at night but I'm soldiering on. I work out for almost two hours each weekday and that has helped me a lot with the stress and I keep a routine. I'm no quitter and even sitting here won't prevent me from focusing on my goal to one day be able to serve other people and give back. I want to leave a mark on the world in a positive way.
I'm going to do my best to do more journals. I know I always say that but I'm going to try so stay tuned!
Courage. Strength. Hope and Faith
Peace