Sentenced to Die? A Comparison of Factors Leading to Death Sentences and Executions.

Dozens of researchers have examined legal and extralegal factors that make criminal defendants more likely to receive a death sentence, and substantial evidence suggests that racial biases impact the death sentencing process. However, very few studies have looked at whether these same factors play a role in determining which death sentences are carried out. This thesis investigates that question with three case studies from the southern United States and finds a considerable degree of variation in whether death-sentencing disparities are mitigated, maintained, or amplified by the execution process. One potential explanation for this variation is the varying degrees of discretion that the execution systems in each case study operated with. A subsequent nation-wide analysis supports this explanation by finding that states with lower execution rates have larger racial disparities. The thesis concludes by suggesting a plan for future investigation of factors that influence executions.Bachelor of Art