Patterns of Death: An Analysis of Racial Disparities in Capital Sentencing and Homicide Victimization

A comparison of death-sentenced and incarcerated murderers in pre-Furmantexas

“…In view of the racial climate of Texas and most other southern states in the pre-Furman era, such a finding is not at all surprising. Most important, these data are quite consistent with post-Furman research on death sentencing patterns (i.e., victim-based discrimination) in Texas (Ekland-Olson 1988), Louisiana (Smith 1987), Illinois (Gross and Mauro 1983), Oklahoma (Gross and Mauro 1983), North Carolina (Gross and Mauro 1983), South Carolina (Paternoster 1984), Mississippi (Gross and Mauro 1984), Virginia (Gross and Mauro 1983), Arkansas (Gross and Mauro 1983), Florida (Gross and Mauro 1983), Georgia (Baldus, Paluski, and Woodworth 1986), and New Jersey (Hawkins 1987).…”

Gender, race, and formal court decision-making outcomes: Chivalry/paternalism, conflict theory or gender conflict?

“…Findings generally conclude that offenders who aggress against or murder White victims are more likely to receive tougher sanctions than those who aggress against or murder Black victims (e.g., Baumer et al, 2000;Glaeser & Sacerdote, 2003). This conclusion is supported by research on disparities in death penalty sanctions (Baldus & Woodworth, 1998;Baldus, Woodworth, & Pulaski, 1990;Gross & Mauro, 1984;Holcomb, Williams, & Demuth, 2004;Wolfgang & Reidel, 1973). Further, the death penalty is more likely to be sought and imposed when a White victim has been murdered than when the offender has murdered a victim of color.…”

Racial Bias in Case Processing: Does Victim Race Affect Police Clearance of Violent Crime Incidents?

“…LaFree (1980), for example, found that racial composition of the case participants had no effect on the likelihood of arrest, prosecution, trial, or verdict. The victim/offender race combination, however, influenced the sentence imposed, with African-American offenders convicted of victimizing whites receiving the harshest sentences and AfricanAmerican offenders convicted of victimizing African-American victims receiving the most lenient sentences (see also Baldus, Woolworth, & Pulaski, 1990;Bowers & Pierce, 1980;Gross & Mauro, 1984;Kingsnorth, Lopez, Wentworth, and Cummings , 1998;Paternoster, 1984;Sorensen & Wallace, 1999;Spohn, 1994;Spohn & Spears, 1996;Walsh, 1987;Wolfgang & Riedel, 1973). Thus, prior research has illustrated the importance of the "victim-offender dyad" in examinations of criminal justice case processing.…”