NCJ Number
225317
Journal
Criminology Volume: 46 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2008 Pages: 971-1008
Date Published
November 2008
Length
38 pages
Annotation
This study conducted new analyses of the link between defendant-victim race/ethnicity combinations in murder cases in Maryland in order to determine the varying risk of facing the death penalty if convicted.
Abstract
The study found that cases with Black defendants and White victims (BD-WV) were more likely to be death noticed and death sentenced than comparable cases in which the defendant was not Black and the victim was White (non-BD-WV). These findings add to the collective body of research on racial disparities in the Nation’s capital punishment system. These results are based on propensity score weighting procedures that adjust for possible alternative explanations differently than regression-based models. The authors argue that an important advantage of propensity scores is that the issue of covariate balance is transparent. To the extent that important covariates are balanced, greater confidence can be placed in any conclusions about the effect of a hypothesized “treatment” variable. Another advantage of the propensity score approach is that it is becoming as easily understood and comprehended as standard regression-based approaches. The authors advise that with careful and comprehensive measurement and sound statistical analysis, it is possible to make useful statements about the links between race and case disposition, although race is not capable of being directly manipulated. The database for this study was composed of 93 background characteristics for each of the 1,130 prosecutions and 1,041 unique defendants. The methodology for adjusting between-group differences is described in detail. 3 tables, 60 references, and appended balance diagnostics for the unique prosecution sample and the unique defendant sample