There were work stoppages and strikes, and with Judge Justice's opinion, there was an air of expectancy that the brutality and terrible conditions would end.

[9] In November 1998,[10] six condemned men were absent from their cells for several hours and then coordinated an escape attempt.

[11] One of the men, Martin Gurule (TDCJ# 999063[12]),[10] successfully escaped and was later found dead in a location near the prison grounds.

[14] According to the TDCJ, the prison escape attempt had hastened the agency's decision to move death row inmates to a new location.

[13] TDCJ officials also stated that overcrowding at Ellis was another factor in the death row move.

[11] The Texas Board of Criminal Justice approved the relocation of the men's death row on Friday May 21, 1999.

The prison guards allowed other offenders to gather and say goodbye to a death row inmate on the night before his execution.

[16] Steve Earle recorded "Ellis Unit One" for the 1995 film Dead Man Walking.