Who is more likely to get the Death Penalty?

[Solon]

I'm looking for opinions here, let's set up a simple scenario for first-degree murder, premeditated, and an offense that includes the punishment of the death penalty. Now, imagine two cases where these facts would be similar, the only difference would be the race of defendant and victim, in permutations listed below. Choose which criminal is more likely to get the death penalty IN THE UNITED STATES TODAY. I'm not asking for what you WANT to happen, but for what actually happens.

Note, this poll is restricted to race, one about the economically disadvantaged is also just as valid, but not the subject of this particular poll.

[milord]

1. What's the point of this? n/t

[Th1onein]

5. Uh hello? It's a poll....Want to make a bet?

I bet that you were the ONE who voted that race doesn't have anything to do with whether someone gets the death penalty or not, right?

[Orrex]

2. Strictly speaking...

An innocent black person is more likely to get the death penalty than a white person, too. That's not to say, necessarily, that the black person will be executed, but I believe that more black people have erroneously been sentenced to die than have white people.

[dsc]

3. It isn't a matter of opinion

but of statistical fact. Blacks killing whites are way more likely to get the DP. Now, that said, there is some factors which would need to be taken into account to find an exact ratio. Killing across racial lines are far less likely to be crimes of passion or other types of crimes that have mitigation involved. Thus one would expect, on average, a greater likelihood of the DP in either crimes where whites kill blacks or blacks kill whites. Of course, in reality, we see the differential only in blacks killing whites, not vice versa.

[China_cat]

9. Easy to find your exact ratio in Texas

I can't find the site right now but the last time I saw it there were pictures of the inmates on death row in one Texas prison. Of 52 pictures, only 2 were white. The rest were all people of color...black, hispanic, asian or middle eastern in appearance.

[nomorenomore08]

4. Agree with the majority vote, and I think it applies to class as well.

Perhaps the main factor is not having access to decent legal representation, with the poor unable to afford good lawyers. Add in the possible racial biases (whether conscious or unconscious) of the judge/jurors/prosecutor, and what you have is circumstances stacked against the defendant.

[MercutioATC]

7. Agreed. Class is probably the larger determining factor, followed by race.

[IowaGirl]

6. Here's some info on this subject....

Note the chart showing difference in judges appointed by president.

[China_cat]

10. Did you forget to post something?

Like the chart?

[IowaGirl]

13. LOL, sorry!!

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=1328

[Pavulon]

8. Stratification..

interesting poll but without information about those contributing you are gathering the opinion of posters..

[Donald Ian Rankin]

11. Your last point doesn't contradict the others.

It's entirely possible (although I don't know whether it's the case or not) that while race itself isn't a deciding factor, it correlates with other things that are - e.g, someone killing a rich person may be more likely to be executed than someone killing a poor one, and so since whites are on average richer, crimes against them are on average more likely to be punished severely, even though race itself isn't a factor.

[readmoreoften]

12. It's been statistically proven. The information is all there.

it's one of the first things you learn. Also female murderers treated more harshly than males.