NCJ Number
147915
Journal
Criminology Volume: 32 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1994) Pages: 107-134
Date Published
1994
Length
28 pages
Annotation
In September 1990, Charles Troy Coleman was put to death by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary; his execution, the first in the State in more than 25 years, generated significant media coverage and provided a unique opportunity to assess Oklahoma's return to executing capital offenders.
Abstract
Weekly time series data were obtained from Uniform Crime Reports (Supplemental Homicide Reports) on the number and type of criminal homicide incidents in Oklahoma for more than 1 year before and 1 year after the execution (January 1989 through December 1991). Data analysis permitted the researchers to assess the execution's impact on the subsequent incidence of homicide. Analysis was performed for the total level of criminal homicides and for homicides disaggregated into two murder types (felony murder and stranger homicide). As predicted, no evidence of a deterrent or brutalization effect was found for criminal homicides in general. Similarly, the execution's predicted deterrent effect on the felony murder level was not observed. Evidence of the predicted brutalization effect on the stranger homicide level, however, was noted. 48 references, 5 tables, and 3 figures