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Rita Radostitz on Harris County and Race

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Journalist Rita Radostitz writes, "Harris County Death Penlaty: Race Matters," in the current Austin Chronicle.Anyone who follows capital murder cases in Texas has observed that race plays a role in who gets the death penalty and who doesn't. It's long been accepted that a victim's race affects sentencing ? those who kill white victims are more likely to get the death penalty. Now, according to a new study by University of Denver sociology professor Scott Phillips, the case histories also show that the defendant's race is also a significant factor ? at least in Harris County. Phillips found that a black murderer is almost twice as likely to have the death penalty sought against him as a white murderer. Phillips drew this conclusion not only based on the raw data of the race of the defendant and of the victim but through comparing the seriousness of the crimes...continue to full post

Full post as published by StandDown Texas Project on June 05, 2008 (boomark / email).