The Death Penalty In Texas and Louisiana

Executions in the United States Capital Punishment in Texas makes up roughly 37% of United State’s executions since 1976, more than any other state.

The Basics: Texas Vs. Louisiana, Neighboring states 1st in Executions Nationally Executions since 1976: 542 Executions 1608-1976: 744 13 exonerations since 1976 3rd Largest Death Row Population 13th in Executions Nationally Executions since 1976: 28 Executions 1608-1976: 632 11 exonerations since 1976 10th Largest Death Row population

Texas vs. Louisiana Crime rates Texas has executed approximately 19.5 times more people than Louisiana since 1976. This disparity CANNOT be explained by crime or murder rates. In 2016, the murder rate in Texas was 7.7, while Louisiana’s murder rate was 17.7. From 2016 to present, the state of Louisiana has executed 0 people, while Texas has executed 11 people.

Texas vs. Louisiana Crime Rates Crime rates and rates of execution between the two states become even more disparate when certain counties are looked at individually. Harris County Texas, in which Houston is located, has alone executed 126 people since 1976. More than any other state in the United States. As shown, murder rates in Louisiana are actually higher than murder rates in Texas, so “crime” is not an applicable answer to the disparities in execution.

Explanations for Disparities In execution rates Explanations for the disparities between execution rates between Texas and Louisiana are intersectional, as well as political and cultural. It’s more than geography! Intersectionality: Describes overlapping social identities, especially when related to systems of oppression or discrimination Possible Explanations Culture Texans are known for their patriotism and pride in capital punishment. A 2012 poll showed that 73% of Texas votes supported the death penalty. Politics Elected public officials take on “tough on crime” stances in order to be favored for re-election. During his tenure in Harris County, former District Attorney Johhny Holmes sent more than 200 people to death row. During Rick Perry’s term as Governor from 2001-2014, Texas executed 279 people. In 2000, Texas executed 40 people.

Race and Ethnicity affect Capital Punishment - Texas In Texas since 1976, Black people have comprised about 38% of people executed, but make up only 12% of the state’s population Most of Texas’ executions are results from Urban cities, where Black people and other minorities constitute a sizeable population. Houston alone accounts for ~23% of the state’s executions A 2000 Study by the Texas Defender Service elucidated presence of the race of the victim bias in Texas Capital Punishment cases. Though black males accounted for 25% of murder victims, their murderers only accounted for 0.4% of prisoners executed. White females accounted for 0.8% of murder victims, but their murderers were accounted for 34.2% of all executions. Source: Theatlantic (https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/06/demographic-breakdown-texas-500-executions/313868/)

Race and ethnicity affect the death Penalty- Louisiana Black people account for 32% of Louisiana’s population, but 65% of Louisiana’s death row. 61% of homicide victims in Louisiana are black males, but only 3 of their killers have been executed since 1976. The execution rates for inmates with White female victims is 48 times that of someone with a Black male victim, although since 1976, only 7% of homicide victims have been White females. http://www.unc.edu/~fbaum/articles/Louisiana-RaceOfVictim-LJPIL-Fall2015.pdf

Explanations for Disparities in Execution Rates Influence of Race and Ethnicity

Explanations for Disparities in Execution Rates

Peffley and Hurwitz, 2007 “Persuasion and Resistance: Race and Death Penalty in America”

Conclusion In the United States, the capital punishment system is affected by racial bias. Statistics show that both Texas and Louisiana operate disparately depending on race of offender and race of victim. However, geographic differences account for even more disparity between the rates of execution between Texas and Louisiana, which are neighboring states. Although the state of Louisiana has consistently had a higher crime rate than Texas, Texas has executed 19.5 more people than Louisiana since 1977. The disparity between the two states can be described by intersectional factors such as race, politics, and geography.

Works Cited Bump, Philip. “A Demographic Breakdown of Texas’ 500 Executions.” The Atlantic. 2013. Baumgartner, Frank.”Race-Of-Victim Discrepancies in Homicides and Executions, Louisiana, 1976-2015”. Loyola University of New Orleans Journal of Public Interest Law. 2015. “Crime Rate in Houston, TX”n.d. City-Data.Com. Dieter, Richard C. “The 2% Death Penalty: How a Minority of Counties Produce Most Death Cases at Enormous Costs to All.” Death Penalty Information Center, 2013, 4. DPIC.org Grimm, Andy. “Study: Death Penalty Rare in Louisiana for killers who murder black males.” NOLA Times. 2015. Fernandez, Manny, and John Schwartz. “Confronted on Execution, Texas Proudly Says It Kills Efficiently.” The New York Times, May 12, 2014. Peffley, Mark. “Persuasion and Resistance: Race and the Death Penalty in America.” American Journal of Political Science 51 (4)2007: 1002. Ramsey, Ross. “Poll: Texans Stand Behind Death Penalty.” The Texas Tribune, May 24, 2012. Turner, Allan . “Former DA Ran Powerful Death-Penalty Machine.”Chron, July 25, 2007. “Uniform Crime Reports.” New Orleans Police Department. http://www.nola.gov/getattachment/NOPD/Crime-Data/Crime-Stats/Historic-Crime-Trends_1985-2013.pdf/.