usly. Death rows do not necessarily contain the most dangerous or deserving people. Most people on death row are poor -- a full 90 percent could not afford to hire their own attorney to ensure a fair and thorough defense. What Supreme Court Justice William Douglas once said still holds true: "One searches in vain for the execution of any member of the affluent strata of our society." Only a tiny minority on death row are women, even though women commit about one in five criminal homicides. Almost half are Black, when African Americans make up only 12 percent of the population. One study found that the proportion of non-whites on death row was higher after than before the Furman decision. Prejudice operates in subtle ways. Although the race of the offender is important in determining whether he or she is sentenced to die, the race of the victim is also important. A person, especially a black person, who kills a white person is much more likely to be sentenced to death than the killer of a black person -- an average of 22 times more likely, in the case of African American offenders nationwide. African Americans are the most frequent victims of homicide in the United States; over half of murder victims are black. Yet between 1976 and 1993, an average of 83 percent of those on death row were there for killing whites. The message is clear -- black lives are worth less than white lives. Arbitrary sentencing crops up in other ways, too. One community may be more harsh in its sentencing than another. In addition, those who refuse to give evidence or plead guilty end up on death row more frequently than other, often more dangerous offenders who play the game more successfully. Ironically, a guilty person who plea bargains may be better off than an innocent person who sticks to the truth. Finally, accomplices may be sentenced to die while principals are not. Jerome Bowden was executed in 1986 even though the prosecutor in his case had asked for a...
