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SEPTEMBER 13, 2000

African-Americans and Hispanics face federal death penalty sentencing in disproportionate numbers, according to a study released by the US Department of Justice yesterday.

The study, based on five years of review beginning in 1995, showed that US Attorneys throughout the country recommended the death penalty in 183 out of a total 682 cases. Of those, 74 percent were minorities.

US Attorney Janet Reno approved seeking the death penalty for 159 individuals. Of those, 72 percent were minorities.

The study reported race in terms of White, African-American, Hispanic, and Other, so no immediate statistics on whether or not American Indians faced the same disparity are available.

About 4.3 percent, or 29 out of a total of 682 cases, submitted for review by US Attorney fell into the "Other" racial category. Other includes Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, Alaska Native, or those of unknown race or ethnicity.

Of those 29, 15 were recommended for the death penalty. Currently, one faces execution and is Asian, not American Indian.

The US government hasn't executed anyone under federal death penalty laws since 1963, although the number of crimes for which one can face death was increased in 1994 to a total of 49. Included among capital offenses are carjackings which result in death, drug trafficking involving a homicide, and drive-by shootings.

Although both Reno, her office, and President Clinton's office have voiced concerns about the report and why minorities face the death penalty disproportionately, none have called for a moratorium on executions.

Juan Raul Garza, a drug trafficker convicted of murdering three other traffickers, is scheduled for execution on December 12 of this year.

Get the Report:
Survey of the Federal Death Penalty System (US Dept of Justice 9/2000)

Relevant Links:
The Federal Bureau of Prisons, US Department of Justice - www.bop.gov
A Broken System: Error Rates in Capital Cases, Columbia University - 207.153.244.129/finrep.PDF
Killing with Prejudice: Race and the Death Penalty in the USA, Amnesty International - www.amnestyusa.org/rightsforall/dp/race/index.html