Question 1

How many times more capital offenders have been executed in the South than in any other region of the United States under post-Furman statutes?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How many times more capital offenders have...

Question 2

Approximately what percent of post-Furman executions have taken place in the South?

Accepted Answer

Approximately 80% of post-Furman executions have taken place in the South, highlighting the regional disparity in the application of the death penalty in the United States.

Question 3

Approximately what percent of executions for the crime of rape have occurred in the South since 1930?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Approximately what percent of executions for the...

Question 4

Approximately what percent of those people executed for the crime of rape in the United States since 1930 were black?

Accepted Answer

Since 1930, a disproportionate percentage of those executed in the United States for the crime of rape were black, with the figure being around 90%. This reflects historical racial biases in the application of capital punishment, especially in the South.

Question 5

What has research not found about the prolonged discussion of penalty at the very start of the trial during voir dire and death qualification?

Accepted Answer

Research has found that discussing the death penalty during voir dire and death qualification sensitizes potential jurors to the prospect of imposing the death penalty. However, there is no clear evidence that it predisposes potential jurors to believe that the defendant is guilty or that the judge and attorneys share their views. Nor is there evidence that it predisposes potential jurors to believe that the judge favors the death penalty.

Question 6

Which of the following allows jurors to "morally disengage" from the realities of their death penalty decision?

Accepted Answer

All of the options listed contribute to the environment in which jurors can distance themselves from the emotional and moral weight of deciding on the death penalty. The trial structure, sequencing of evidence, formal atmosphere, and legal doctrines collectively create a context that can facilitate moral disengagement.

Question 7

Approximately what percent of the nearly 1,000 defendants sentenced to death in California between 1973 and 2010 have been executed?

Accepted Answer

Only 13 of the nearly 1,000 defendants sentenced to death in California between 1973 and 2010 have been executed, which is less than 2%.

Question 8

Which of the following does not contribute to the dehumanization of the capital defendant?

Accepted Answer

All the options listed contribute to the dehumanization of the capital defendant by shaping perceptions and controlling the narrative around the defendant, often in a negative light.

Question 9

Which of the following concepts refers to an unconscious psychological process by which racially discriminatory outcomes can be produced as "cool, distant, and indirect" and manifested not by negative attributions toward out-group members (e.g., blacks) but rather by attributing more positive attributes to in-group members (e.g., whites)?

Accepted Answer

Modern racism, symbolic racism, subtle prejudice, and aversive racism are all concepts that refer to unconscious psychological processes by which racially discriminatory outcomes can be produced in a "cool, distant, and indirect" manner. These processes are often manifested not by negative attributions toward out-group members, but rather by attributing more positive attributes to in-group members.

Question 10

According to Professors Nakell and Hardy, arbitrariness is deliberate and discrimination is random.

Accepted Answer

According to Professors Nakell and Hardy, arbitrariness is random whereas discrimination is deliberate.

Question 11

Only 5 of the 34 jurisdictions that have executed at least one person under post-Furman statutes account for about 66 percent of the 1,233 people executed under post-Furman statutes (as of November 5, 2010); two states (Texas and Virginia) can lay claim to about 46 percent of the total; and one state, Texas, has executed more than one-third.

Accepted Answer

The statement correctly reflects the distribution of executions under post-Furman statutes in the United States.

Question 12

A person is no more likely to be convicted of a capital crime in one geographical area of Florida or Georgia than in another.

Accepted Answer

The application and interpretation of criminal laws can vary between geographic areas, resulting in differences in conviction rates for capital crimes. Therefore, a person may be more or less likely to be convicted of a capital crime depending on the specific area of Florida or Georgia in which they are being tried.

Question 13

A recent study of Virginia death sentencing practices found that prosecutors were significantly more likely to seek a death sentence in high-density urban areas than in lower density areas of the state.

Accepted Answer

The study actually found that prosecutors were more likely to seek a death sentence in lower density, rural areas of Virginia than in high-density urban areas. This is contrary to what might be expected, as urban areas often have higher crime rates.

Question 14

A recent study in Nebraska discovered that prosecutors in non-urban counties were more willing than their counterparts in major urban counties to waive the death penalty unilaterally or by way of plea bargain.

Accepted Answer

There is no specific study mentioned in the data up to October 2023 that confirms this claim about prosecutors in Nebraska's non-urban counties.

Question 15

A recent study in Illinois found that defendants within Cook County were substantially more likely to receive a death sentence than defendants outside of Cook County.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A recent study in Illinois found that...

Question 16

In Texas, Harris County (Houston) alone accounts for nearly a third of the state's death row inmates. It also has the highest murder rate in the state.

Accepted Answer

While Harris County has historically contributed a significant portion of Texas's death row inmates, it does not have the highest murder rate in the state. Other counties or cities in Texas have higher murder rates when adjusted for population.

Question 17

Research shows that many jurors inappropriately make their sentencing decisions before the sentencing phase of the trial begins, and oftentimes those decisions are pro-death.

Accepted Answer

Research studies have found that a significant proportion of jurors make up their minds about the sentence they would give even before they hear evidence presented in the sentencing phase of a capital trial. This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as "prejudging." Some studies have shown that jurors who decide on their sentence early on are more likely to give the death penalty than those who remain open to both life imprisonment and the death penalty until the end of the trial.

Question 18

Data from the Capital Jury Project reveal that jurors frequently have mistaken views about the alternatives to a death sentence and, consequently, vote for death even though they would vote for life if they were assured that the defendant would never be released from prison or would not be released for a long time.

Accepted Answer

This statement is supported by data from the Capital Jury Project.

Question 19

Research shows that jurors commonly misapprehend judges' capital-sentencing instructions, especially those pertaining to mitigating circumstances.

Accepted Answer

This is supported by numerous studies and research on jury decision-making in capital cases. Jurors often struggle to understand the complex legal language and concepts involved in capital-sentencing instructions, leading to confusion and errors in their decision-making process.

Question 20

Professors Miller and Nixon claim that a coherent link between Supreme Court Justices Rehnquist, Scalia, and Thomas' decisions cannot be found in any method of constitutional interpretation but instead seems to reside only in their politically preferred outcome.

Accepted Answer

This is the claim made by Professors Miller and Nixon.

Quiz 10: Arbitrariness and Discrimination in the Administration of the Death Penalty