The race of victims weighs heavily in capital punishment decisions.
Studies confirm that defendants with white victims are more likely to be charged capitally, sentenced to death, have those sentences upheld on appeal, and be executed. The searchable database found on this page brings together race of the defendant, the defendant’s age at the time of the crime, date of death sentence, race of the victim, and jurisdiction to offer a clear view of the racial and systemic imbalances that persist within death-penalty outcomes.
Gratitude to Professor Frank Baumgartner of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his team for their extensive research and rigorous data validation in compiling race-related victim data.
Instructions and Usage Notes
Click any column header to sort the table by that column. The first click will arrange the data in ascending order (for example, A – Z for text or smallest to largest for numbers). Click the same header again to reverse the order (Z – A or largest to smallest). For definitions and code keys, please consult the codebook.
To download the database as a spreadsheet (csv format), click here.
