[Gregory H.]

Most murder defendants are not black. In fact, by sheer numbers, most murder defendants are white. That should not be surprising, considering blacks comprise only about 12 percent of the population. What raises the question of the death penalty being racist is that it is applied disproportionately to black convicts, especially those convicted of murdering a white person. Empirical studies have shown that a black person and a white person with identical criminal records who commit identical crimes are likely to receive different sentences. The white may get a life sentence, while the black gets a death sentence. Whites are almost never sentenced to death for murdering a black, while for a black, conviction of murdering a white is almost a guarantee of a death sentence where possible. Incidentally, in Texas, the defendants convicted of murdering James Byrd (dragging death) were the first whites sentenced to death in Texas for murdering a black since 1853 … when a man murdered another man’s slave.

User Detail :  

Name : Gregory H., Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Age : 24, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,