NCJ Number
154889
Journal
American Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: (1993) Pages: 95-115
Date Published
1993
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This study uses factorial design methodology to examine whether members of the general public are more supportive of capital punishment when asked to rate a vignette that describes a murder that involves a white victim and black offender compared to other victim-offender racial combinations.
Abstract
A total of 343 college students enrolled in introductory sociology classes at a southern State university volunteered to participate in the study. Fifty-five percent of the sample was female, and the remaining 45 percent were male. The sample was 69.7 percent white, 27.7 percent black, and 2.6 percent other nonwhite. Following each vignette, subjects were asked, "If you served on the jury for the trial of this offender, would you vote for the death penalty in this case?" Below the question, respondents were presented with response categories that ranged from "Definitely vote against the death penalty" to "Definitely vote for the death penalty." Given the focus of this analysis, however, responses were dichotomized as either voting for or against capital punishment. Existing research suggests that juries are more likely to condemn murderers to death when offenders are black and victims are white. The analyses suggest that the race of the offenders, but not the victims, has a significant influence on support for capital punishment. Thus, procedural safeguards alone may not be able to eliminate racial bias in capital sentencing. 3 tables, 2 notes, and 58 references