NC Racial Justice Act
It’s urgent that we contact our legislators to encourage support for the NC Racial Justice Act. It has passed in the state House and is now in committee in the NC Senate.
Race is a major factor in death sentences in our state (as in many others). While murder rates across racial lines are constant, the population of death row is largely black. Convicted murderers of whites are far more likely to be accorded death sentences than murderers of non-whites. In at least one case, the white man who planned a murder was given life in prison while the black man he hired was sentenced to death. And death penalty juries in this state have historically been mostly white.
(Here’s the story of one innocent man convicted, in large part, due to his race.)
This law, when passed, will permit convicted murderers to argue that race played a role in their sentencing and, if successful, would change the sentence to life without parole.
Sen. Martin Nesbitt
300 N. Salisbury St., Room 300-B
Raleigh, NC 27603-5925
919-715-3001
martin.nesbitt@ncleg.net
Sen. Tom Apodaca
16 W. Jones Street, Room 1127
Raleigh, NC 27601-2808
919-733-5745
828-696-3510
tom.apodaca@ncleg.net
RE: NC Boger/Unah “study” on race and the death penalty.
First, academics, lawmakers and others have been trying to get the database/methodology on the Boger/Unah “study” for about a decade. Why hasn’t it been released? Guess.
Secondly, the only alleged racial “disparity” (not bias) uncovered in the “study” is based upon
“. . . the “death odds multiplier” is 3.5, indicating that, on average, the odds of receiving a death sentnece are increased by a factor of 3.5 when the murder victim is white.” (page 4).
IF true, that 3.5 odds mutliplier equals about a 2%-4% differential – completely meaningless, based upon actual cases sent to death row – SOMETHING THE STUDY DID NOT EVEN MEASIURE!
Thirdly, the “study” ONLY looks at 1994-1997, or 13% of the years of NC current death penalty laws. Even IF the “study” is sound, it is, compeletley irrelevant, when looking at the full 32 years of relevant data.
Come on.
The aim of the racial justice act is not racial justice, it is, quite simply and obvioulsy, a way to dramatically increase the costs and delays in death penalty cases, with a goal of assiting in the end of the death penalty in North Carolina.
see
RACE: A Death Penalty Primer – No Bias in Death Penalty Sentencing
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2006/03/25/race-a-death-penalty-primer.aspx?ref=rss