Study: Death penalty rare in Louisiana for killers who murder black males

The study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of the Loyola University Journal of Public Interest Law, found glaring racial and disparities in how the death penalty is meted out in Louisiana– noting that statistics here mirror national figures.

From 1976 to 2011, there have been more than 15,000 black male homicide victims in Louisiana. Those killings have resulted in 62 people being sentenced to death, and three executions.

But during the same span, about 1,300 white women were murdered, resulting in 89 death sentences for their killers and 18 executions– the execution rate for killing a white female was 48 times higher than for black male victims.

Nearly 4,000 white males were homicide victims during the same span, with 113 killers sentenced to death and a dozen executed. There were 2,438 black female homicide victims, resulting in 43 death sentences and 5 executions.

 

Source: Study: Death penalty rare in Louisiana for killers who murder black males