Geographic location,death sentences and executions in post-Furman Virginia

Abstract

The issue of geographic disparity has been central to the death penalty debate since the US Supreme Court's Furman decision in 1972. This study investigates this issue in terms of jurisdictional variation in death sentences (1978–2001) and executions (1982–2004) in post-Furman Virginia. The research design involves the examination of 85 counties and cities in Virginia that had at least three potential capital crimes between 1978 and 2001. Discriminant analysis is employed to identify variables that differentiate low (‘abolitionist’) and high (‘retentionist’) death-sentencing and executing jurisdictions. On the whole, the findings point to the role of certain demographic and community factors, such as population size and density, racial composition and case characteristics of homicides in explaining variation in death sentences and executions. To a lesser extent, historical factors played a role, with the number of pre-Furman executions showing a modest relationship to death sentences in the modern era.