Marina Lutchman
Unit II Essay
Word count: 1694
Moderator: Good morning everyone. Today we have three scholars, each of whom will
be discussing the questionable matter of capital punishment in American Society. From
my left to right, we have Michael Radelet, Aaron Chalfin, and Martin Urbina. Michael
Radelet is a scholar who has graduated from several universities. The degrees he has
earned include Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy (University of
California Boulder, 2015). He was also a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of
Wisconsin and the University of New Hampshire (University of California Boulder,
2015). Mr. Radelet is currently a Professor at the Department of Sociology of the
University of Colorado (University of California Boulder, 2015). Can you please tell us
about your research Mr. Radelet?
Michael Radelet: Yes. My research is mainly focused on erroneous convictions and
racial disparities in death sentencing (University of California Boulder, 2015). Today I
will be concentrating on the racial disparities involved with death sentencing specifically
from research conducted by my colleague Glenn Pierce and I.
Moderator: Thank you Mr. Radelet. The next scholar we have is Aaron Chalfin, who
graduated with his Master of Arts degree from Yale University and received his Doctor
of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley in 2013 (University of Cincinnati,
2014). We will have him tell everyone more about his work.
Aaron Chalfin: As mentioned earlier I completed my Ph.D. at the University of
California at Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy (University of
Cincinnati, 2014). I am presently working for the University of Chicago Crime Lab as a
researcher for Crime Lab New York (University of Cincinnati, 2014). Today I will be
focusing on the economics of crime, specifically the cost of capital punishment.
Moderator: Our last panelist is Martin Urbina, a graduate from Sul Ross State
University, New Mexico State University, and Western Michigan University (Rio Grande
College, 2009). Mr. Urbina is currently a Professor of Criminal Justice in the Department
of Natural & Behavioral Sciences at Sul Ross State University--Rio Grande College, and
an adjunct instructor of Sociology for Southwest Texas Junior College (Rio Grande
College, 2009). Can you please tell us about your research Mr. Urbina?
Martin Urbina: Yes. I have authored, co-authored, and edited scholarly publications on
a wide range of topics, most revolving around criminal justice. I will be going in depth
about the history of the death penalty, but mainly race and the death penalty over time.
Moderator: Our panelists have all conducted very interesting research. Before we begin,
can you all tell us more about what capital punishment is and who has the right to
authorize the death penalty?
Michael Radelet: Capital punishment or the death penalty is a process by which a person
is put to death for committing capital crimes. According to the United States Department
of Justice (2011), capital offenses include but are not limited to: murder, treason,
espionage, etc. (p. 7). Either Congress or any state legislature may authorize the death
penalty for crimes categorized as capital crimes.
Moderator: Thank you for clarifying what capital punishment is to the audience. Now
we will discuss the racial disparities associated with the death penalty.
Michael Radelet: In order to find whether there are racial disparities in the
administration of the death penalty, my colleague Glenn Pierce and I gathered data on
approximately 15,000 North Carolina homicides, from 1980 to 2007, of which 352 cases
resulted in death sentences (Radelet & Pierce, 2011). The conclusion our data led to was
quite stunning. For homicides in North Carolina from 1980 to 2007, the odds of a death
sentence for those who are suspected of killing Whites are approximately three times
higher than the odds of a death sentence for those suspected of killing Blacks (Radelet &
Pierce, 2011, p. 2135).
Martin Urbina: That conclusion is not very surprising considering the history of African
Americans in America. Not only were they viewed as an inferior caste; they were
frequently lynched and mobbed (Urbina, 2012, p. 20). I believe it is important to note that
from 1882 to 1977 there were 1,837 lynching’s, 73% of which were of African
Americans (Urbina, 2012, p. 21). African Americans were not favored in the South,
which is most likely why your research came to that conclusion.
Michael Radelet: Good point Mr. Urbina. The history of African Americans plays a big
role in determining if racial disparities exist in the death penalty administration. As
mentioned earlier, our data was from North Carolina, a southern state. As late as 1837,
North Carolina required death for concealing a slave with intent to free him, circulating
seditious literature among slaves, inciting slaves to insurrection (Radelet & Pierce, 2011,
p. 2123). These are just a few of the crimes punishable by death. Data on slave
executions in North Carolina were included in one of the earliest data sets relating to the
death penalty. This data allowed for analysis of the role of race in death sentencing. One
set of data in North Carolina from 1980 to 2007, showed that the odds of receiving a
death sentence in a White victim homicide case were, on average, 2.96 times higher than
the odds of receiving a death sentence in a Black victim case (Radelet &Pierce, 2011, p.
2144). This is almost three times higher for crimes against Whites.
Moderator: What do you think about this data Mr. Chalfin?
Aaron Chalfin: Even though my research is focused on the economics of crime, there is
still the factor of race involved. Out of a sample of 1,136 cases, 7% resulted in a not
guilty verdict or the prosecutor declined to prosecute (Chalfin, Roman, Sundquist,
Knight, Darmenov, 2008, p. 31). This left my researchers and I 1,227 cases to analyze.
We concluded that death notices and death sentences were more likely to be filed in cases
where at least one of the victims was white (Chalfin et al., 2008, p. 21). This once again
supports the claim that there are racial disparities in the administration of the death
penalty.
Martin Urbina: It seems we are just focusing on African Americans being the ones
facing discrimination in the criminal justice system. However, poor Caucasians,
Mexicans and Latinos in general have faced prejudice and hate. I believe that this
injustice is caused by the historical legacy of hate (Urbina, 2012, p. 34).
Moderator: Thank you. Based on the panelists’ research, we can most likely conclude
that racial disparities exist in some form throughout the criminal justice system. I
recognized that Mr. Chalfin’s research is based on the economics of crime. He has even
contributed to a book called Cost-Benefit Analysis and Crime Control in which he
addresses the costs and benefits of programmatic interventions in the criminal justice
system (168). Could you elaborate a little more on that Mr. Chalfin?
Aaron Chalfin: Yes. When I say the economics of crime, I mean the costs of capital
punishment, specifically in Maryland. Out of the 1,227 cases I mentioned earlier, only
509 of them had complete administrative data on case processing (Chalfin et al., 2008,
p.4). We found that an average capital-eligible case in which the death sentence was not
sought costs Maryland taxpayers more than $1.1 million over the life of the case (Chalfin
et al., 2008, p.2). A capital-eligible case that results in a death sentence adds another $1.2
million in costs. The total cost to the taxpayers of Maryland approximately $3 million
(Chalfin et al., 2008, p.2). My researchers and I estimate the total cost of the death
penalty to Maryland taxpayers for cases that began between 1978 and 1999 to be at least
$186 million (Chalfin et al., 2008, p.3).
Moderator: Wow that is quite a lot of money. Now that we have some background on
the economics of the death penalty, what are our panelist’s views on the death penalty?
Michael Radelet: I believe the evidence clearly shows the death penalty should be
abolished. My research, which covers cases from 1900 to 1985, has found that at least 23
people have been executed for crimes they did not commit, and that racial and economic
disparities prove the penalty is unfairly applied (University of Colorado Boulder, 2001).
Aaron Chalfin: I would rather not voice my opinion on this matter.
Martin Urbina: I wish not to either.
Moderator: That is fine, thank you for sharing Mr. Radelet. I would like to thank our
panelists for being here today. Before we conclude I think it is important to mention that
in 2013, the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan research institute, conducted a survey in
which 55% of U.S. adults say they favor the death penalty for persons convicted of
murder and 37% oppose the practice (Pew Research Center 2014). Capital punishment is
quite a questionable matter in American society. There are various aspects of the death
penalty that have been researched by scholars such as Michael Radelet, Aaron Chalfin,
and Martin Urbina. It is up to the individual to be more informed about these aspects and
come to a conclusion of their own.
References
Radelet, M.L., Pierce, G.L. (2011). Race and Death Sentencing in North Carolina, 1980-2007.
North Carolina Law Review.
Rio Grande College. (2009). Dr. Martin Guevara Urbina. In Department of Natural &
Behavioral Sciences. Retrieved from http://faculty.sulross.edu/murbina/
Roman, J., Chalfin, A., Sundquist, A., Knight, C., Darmenov, A. (2008, March). The Cost of the
Death Penalty in Maryland.
Roman, John K., Dunworth, Terence, and Marsh, Kevin, eds. Cost-Benefit Analysis and Crime
Control. Washington, DC, USA: Urban Institute Press, 2010.
Shrinking Majority of Americans Support Death Penalty. (2014, March 28). Pew Research
Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewforum.org/2014/03/28/shrinking-majority-ofamericans-support-death-penalty/
United States Department of Justice. (2011). Federal Capital Offenses, 2010. In Bureau of
Justice Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cp10st.pdf
University of California Boulder. (2015). Michael Radelet. In Department of Sociology.
Retreieved from https://sociology.colorado.edu/people/radelet-michael
University of Cincinnati. (2014). Aaron Chalfin. In College of Education, Criminal Justice, &
Human Services. Retrieved from
http://cech.uc.edu/criminaljustice/employees.html?eid=chalfian
University of Colorado Boulder. (2001). Top Death Penalty Expert Joins CU-Boulder Faculty.
Be Boulder. Retrieved from http://www.colorado.edu/news/releases/2001/08/29/topdeath-penalty-expert-joins-cu-boulder-faculty
Urbina, M.G. (2012). Capital Punishment in America: Race and the Death Penalty Over Time.
El Paso, TX, USA: LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC.