Capital Punishment Unit Quiz 1

Death Penalty Data

• 1667 executions nationwide since 1976

• 27 death penalty states (plus federal gov & military, last execution in 1961)

Polling on support for the death penalty

• 52-53% support (to some degree the death penalty)

• 60% would choose a punishment other than the death penalty

• Gallup crime survey - first time americans believed the death penalty was applied unfairly (50%) than fairly (47%)

Death Row Stats

• 42% white 40% black 98% male

• primary meathod of execution - lethal injection

• 56% executed were white

• more than 75% or murder victims were white

• since 1976- most in texas

Alabama & Florida non-unanimous juries

• alabama (10-2 vote “for death”) allows defendants to be sentanced to death when jurors are less than unanimous

• Florida (April 2023) allows for imposition of the death penalty when jury recommends death by vote 8-4

• 69 executions between 1976-2022 31 involved non-unanimous jury votes

• florida has the most death row inmates & exonerations

Arguments in Support of the Death Penalty

1. convicted killers typically multiple violent offenders - 9% of death row inmates had prior convictions of homicide

2. convicted murderers will never kill again

3. founding fathers sanction the death penalty - 5th amendment (capital crimes, twice put in jeopardy of life or limb) - 14th Amendment (deprive life w/out due process)

4. punishment is proportional to the crime

5. supported by majority of states

6. acceptable punishment for killing law enforcement or correctional officer

Arguments in Opposition to the Death Penalty

1. innocent people released from death row 9:1 ratio

2. discretionary nature - prosecutors seek 1-2%

3. insufficient evidence that it serves as a detterant

4. indigent defendants have received inadequate legal counsel

5. more expensive to execute than to warehouse in prison

arguments in opposition - in a discriminatory fashion

• close to 80% executed for murder of a white

• 5times more likely yo seek death w/a white victim

• “black on white” killings 1. 4 or < white males - recommend “death” 30% of the time

• 2. 5 or > white males jumps to 71%

• 0 black males - recommend “death” 71%

• 1 black males - drops to 43%

• 20% executed were sentenced to death by all white jury