Race and the Death Penalty

Paper Summary:

The paper analyzes research reports and other studies on the application of the death penalty in America in terms of race. The paper examines what the data shows about racial discrimination in arrests, prosecution, conviction and the application of the death penalty in cases across the country.

Outline:
Methodology
The Police Role (Arrests)
The Judges' Role (Conviction)
The Prosecutorial Role
The Jury Role
African Americans and the Death Penalty
Hispanics and the Death Penalty
The Influence of the Victim's Race in Death Penalty Cases
The Influence of Race on Wrongful Conviction in Death Penalty Cases

From the Paper:

"Dezhbakhsh and Shepherd (2003) consider the nature of the police force in terms of racial makeup and its effect on murder rates, arrests, convictions, and the deterrent effect. They find that total police employment in terms of gender and race has no consistent relationship with murder rates. They also consider the idea that more police would mean higher arrest rates and lower crime, but the evidence does not support this position. A higher police presence does have an effect on other types of crime, but murder rates are not much affected, which might relate to the view that most such crimes are crimes of passion and heat-of-the-moment events for which deterrence is less effective."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Adams, L. (2005). Death by discretion: who decides who lives and dies in the united states of America? American Journal of Criminal Law, 32(3), 381-401.
• Baldus, D.C., Woodworth, Q., & Pulaski, C.A., Jr. (1990). Equal justice and the death penalty: A legal and empirical analysis. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
• Baldus, D.C., Woodworth, G., Zuckerman, D., Weiner, N.A., & Broffitt, B. (1998). Racial discrimination and the death penalty in the post-Furman era: An empirical and legal overview, with recent findings from Philadelphia. Cornell Law Review 83: 1638-770
• Beals, G. & Bai, M. (1997, September 1). A shocking accusation of abuse raises old questions about police brutality--and how it can be stopped. Newsweek, www.newsweek.com.
• Cheatwood, D. (2002). Capital punishment for the crime of homicide in Chicago: 1870-1930. Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, 92(3/4), 843-866. Retrieved March 30, 2008, from Criminal Justice Periodicals database. (Document ID: 332066331).

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