Discrimination and the Death Penalty in Arizona

Abstract

Since the revival of capital punishment in the United States, numerous studies have found clear patterns of racial discrimination in death sentencing in at least a dozen different states, including several non-southern states. This research has consistently shown that white-victim homicides, especially cases in which minorities are accused of killing whites, are much more likely to result in death sentences than other cases and that cases in which minorities are accused of killing other minorities are much less likely to result in death sentences than other cases. Virtually all of these studies have focused on southern or midwestern states and on discrimination against African-American defendants. This study examines racial and ethnic discrimination in death sentencing in Arizona, a western state with a multiethnic population. Findings suggest that similar patterns of death sentencing discrimination occur in Arizona and involve discrimination against both Hispanic and African-American defendants. These findings are interpreted in light of the history of racial and ethnic discrimination in executions in Arizona.