The Death Penalty

Paper Summary:

This paper is a comprehensive, persuasive essay that argues that the death penalty in the United States is motivated by racist ideas. It includes statistical evidence from multiple of sources and outlines the evidence that supports the contention that the death penalty is, in fact, racist. Additionally, it addresses the arguments used by those who oppose this view and explains why they are ineffective.

From the Paper:

"Studies have shown that this power has allowed white, overwhelmingly male prosecutors to select juries that are disproportionately composed of white men. In North Carolina, for example, a study found that 55.2% of black jurors were instantly excluded from death penalty cases, as opposed to just 20.7% of whites (Jackson, 76). In Philadelphia, "prosecutors struck 52% of all black potential jurors, but only 23% of other potential jurors" from 1983-1992 (http://deathpenaltyinfo.org...) Prosecutors are able to mold juries that are not composed of a black defendant's peers and are considerably more likely to convict and sentence them to death. Yet another example of prosecutor racial bias deals with the common practice of consulting with the victim's family "as to whether the death penalty should be sought," and the likelihood of this happening, depending on if the victim happened to be white or black."

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