The “Faceless, Undifferentiated Mass” Thesis and the Victim-Offender Relationship

Abstract

This study uses Justice Stewart’s “faceless, undifferentiated mass” thesis to examine differences between defendants sentenced to death and life without parole. We argue that important differences between defendants may be revealed through the victim-offender relationship and other case-level attributes. The study uses 1,310 first degree murder defendants from Florida that were sentenced to either death or life without parole. Logistic regression was used to examine the victim-offender relationship and case-level attributes including race and gender. There are important differences between these defendants with respect to gender, age, and the victim-offender relationship. The “faceless, undifferentiated mass thesis” offers a new avenue for examining the victim-offender relationship. The implications for research will be discussed.