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New bill aims to remove race from death penalty equation

On July 15th the North Carolina House voted 61-54 to approve the Racial Justice Act, which, if signed into law, would allow death row prisoners in the state to appeal their sentences if racial prejudice played a role in their sentencing. Last night, the North Carolina Senate approved the legislation, which now goes to Governor Bev Perdue for her signature. The Racial Justice Act could be a very significant step towards ensuring that race does not affect the fate of capital defendants in North Carolina--a state with a history of racial prejudice, where race has been a factor in death penalty cases in the past. A 2001 study conducted by Dr. Isaac Unah and Prof. Jack Boger from the University of North Carolina showed that the probability of a defendant receiving the death penalty in North Carolina is 3...continue to full post

Full post as published by Lethal Injection on August 11, 2009 (boomark / email).