---
title: "Editorial Questions Maryland's Commitment to Addressing Racial Disparities"
description: 'A recent Baltimore Sun editorial criticized state leaders for failing to respond to a series of studies showing that race plays a disturbing role in…'
canonical: 'https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/editorial-questions-marylands-commitment-to-addressing-racial-disparities'
section: news
date: '2003-12-23T22:38:44-05:00'
updated: '2025-03-14T14:23:26-04:00'
source: 'Death Penalty Information Center'
---

A recent Baltimore Sun editorial criticized state leaders for failing to respond to a series of studies showing that race plays a disturbing role in capital punishment in Maryland. The paper noted that a study conducted by University of Maryland Professor Raymond Paternoster agreed with four other reviews that all revealed similar findings regarding race and the death penalty in Maryland. The paper stated:

> Of the 1,311 death penalty-eligible cases that the University of Maryland researcher reviewed, he found the same troubling news: Defendants who are accused of killing white victims are more likely to be charged with capital murder and, if convicted, sentenced to death than those charged with killing non-whites. Nearly a year later, his disturbing findings have yet to compel a response from the state. What's it going to take?   
>  . . .   
>  The death penalty is the ultimate punishment, yet concerns about racial disparity have been raised time and again for more than a decade. That's why the issue demands a vigorous response, a serious inquiry and a passionate advocate.

 (Baltimore Sun, December 22, 2003) See [Race](/article.php?did=105&scid=5).