NCJ Number
16545
Journal
GEORGIA JOURNAL OF CORRECTIONS Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Dated: (AUGUST 1974) Pages: 41-54
Date Published
1974
Length
14 pages
Annotation
REVIEWS SOME COMMON MYTHS ABOUT CAPITAL CRIMINALS AND THEIR VICTIMS IN LIGHT OF DATA FROM A RECENT STUDY ON THE DEATH PENALTY IN GEORGIA.
Abstract
THIS EMPIRICAL STUDIED EXAMINED THE CASE HISTORIES OF 50 CAPITAL CRIMINALS ORGINALLY GIVEN DEATH SENTENCES BETWEEN 1943 AND 1965 WHICH WERE THEN COMMUTED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT. ALL FIFTY WERE LATER RELEASED ON PAROLE. FOLLOW-UP DATA ON THE FIFTY OFFENDERS AND THEIR PERSONAL BACKGROUNDS, TRIAL TRANSCRIPTS, PRISON RECORDS AND PAROLE PERFORMANCES WERE OBTAINED FROM RESTRICTED PAROLE FILES AND SUBSEQUENTLY ANALYZED. SPECIAL ATTENTION WAS GIVEN TO CERTAIN DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES SUCH AS RACE AND CLASS. DEMOGRAPHIC DATA ON THOSE SERVING LIFE SENTENCES AS WELL AS THOSE EXECUTED DURING THE 1943 TO 1965 PERIOD IN GEORGIA WERE ALSO COLLECTED AND ANALYZED. AS EACH MYTH IS EXAMINED, IT BECOMES INCREASINGLY APPARENT THAT VERY COMMONLY HELD CONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE DEATH PENALTY AND CAPITAL CRIMINALS ARE NOT SUPPORTED BY THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE AND ARE, THEREFORE, RATHER, MISCONCEPTIONS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)