Warning: Use of undefined constant referer - assumed 'referer' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 102

Warning: Use of undefined constant host - assumed 'host' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 105

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 106

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 109
The Effects Of Race On Sentencing In Capital Punishment Cases - Online Term Paper

The Effects Of Race On Sentencing In Capital Punishment Cases

Throughout history, minorities have been ill-represented in the criminal
justice system, particularly in cases where the possible outcome is death. In
early America, blacks were lynched for the slightest violation of informal laws
and many of these killings occurred without any type of due process. As the
judicial system has matured, minorities have found better representation but it
is not completely unbiased. In the past twenty years strict controls have been
implemented but the system still has symptoms of racial bias. This racial bias
was first recognized by the Supreme Court in Fruman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238
(1972). The Supreme Court Justices decide that the death penalty was ...

Want to read the rest of this paper?
Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay
and over 50,000 other term papers

as has the number of judicial controls used by each state. Of the 3,122
people on death row 41% are black while 48% are white (Gest, 1996, 41). This
figure may be acceptable at first glance but one must take into account the fact
that only 12% of the U.S. population is black (Smolowe, 1991, 68). Carolyn
Snurkowski of the Florida attorney generals office believes that the
disproportionate number of blacks on death row can be explained by the fact that,
“Many black murders result from barroom brawls that wouldn't call for the death
penalty, but many white murders occur on top of another offense, such as robbery”
(As cited in Gest, 1986, 25). This may be true but the Washington Legal
Foundation offers their own explanation by arguing that “blacks are arrested for
murder at a higher rate than are whites. When arrest totals are factored in, '
the probability of a white murderer ending up on death row is 33 percent greater
than in the case of a black murderer (As cited in Gest, ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.
Write better papers. Get better grades.

Already a member? Login

CITE THIS PAGE:

APA
MLA
Chicago
Turabian

The Effects Of Race On Sentencing In Capital Punishment Cases. (2006, October 2). Retrieved January 22, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Effects-Race-Sentencing-Capital-Punishment-Cases/53277

"The Effects Of Race On Sentencing In Capital Punishment Cases." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 2 Oct. 2006. Web. 22 Jan. 2025. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Effects-Race-Sentencing-Capital-Punishment-Cases/53277>

"The Effects Of Race On Sentencing In Capital Punishment Cases." Essayworld.com. October 2, 2006. Accessed January 22, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Effects-Race-Sentencing-Capital-Punishment-Cases/53277.

JOIN NOW

Join today and get instant access to this and 50,000+ other essays

PAPER DETAILS

Added: 10/2/2006 03:18:34 AM
Category: Social Issues
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 1069
Pages: 4

Save |

Report

SHARE THIS PAPER

SAVED ESSAYS

Save and find your favorite essays easier