Description

The Prevailing Injustices in the Application of the Missouri Death Penalty (1978 to 1996)

Data derived from Trial Judge Reports (TJRs) pertaining to homicides in 45 Missouri Circuit Courts, across the period of 1978 to 1996, were analyzed to test the effectiveness of judicial reforms instituted by Gregg v. Georgia (1976). Binary logistic regression analyses demonstrated that considerable race and class disparities persist in that state’s death sentencing, which ranks fourth in the United States in executions in the post-Furman era. Analysis also indicated that the Gregg reforms focusing on jury composition and instruction were misplaced.

age, death penalty, gender, law, Missouri, previous convictions, public defender, race, statistics, weapons

Citation: Social Justice Vol. 32, No. 2 (2005): 151-166.