Stay of execution
According to Michael Benza, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University, a lack of skilled staff is slowing down the execution of US prisoners. It's true, you just can't get the help these days. I blame millennials' and zoomers' lack of work ethic. (wink)
The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) said seven of 20 execution attempts were visibly problematic or took an inordinate amount of time.
Bernd Debusmann Jr, BBC News
But later in the article, our trusty correspondent advises us that…
A total of 18 people were executed in six states throughout the year.
Bernd Debusmann Jr, BBC News
There were no federal executions in 2022. So what happened to the other two? Did they vanish into thin air? (confused)
Lies, damned lies, and the other one
The statistics also show a racial disparity in US death penalty cases, with eight of 18 people executed being people of colour. Five were black, one was Asian, one was Native American and one was Latino.
Bernd Debusmann Jr, BBC News
While the statistics do show a racial disparity, Debusmann's throw-away statement relating it to eight of 18 people executed being people of colour
is misleading. It implies a bias against coloured people, which isn't borne out by the statistics.
The population breakdown, according to the US census,* and the predicted racial representation among the eighteen executed prisoners, are as follows:
| Race | % | Expected | Found | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White, not Hispanic/Latino | 59.3 | 10.7 | 10 | -0.7 |
| Black or African American | 13.6 | 2.4 | 5 | +2.6 |
| Asian | 6.1 | 1.1 | 1 | -0.1 |
| Native American, inc. Pacific islanders | 1.6 | 0.3 | 1 | +0.7 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 18.9 | 3.4 | 1 | -2.4 |
Obviously, it's not possible to execute less than a whole prisoner, so with small populations like this, sizeable disparities between expected incidences and actual cases are bound to arise through happenstance. But the largest seem to be a doubling of the expected black prisoners, and a 70% reduction in the expected Latino count.
If Hispanic/Latino subjects are considered as coloured, which Debusmann's conclusion suggests, then his claim of a bias against coloured prisoners simply doesn't hold. Specifically, ten white prisoners were executed, against 10.7 expected, clearly demonstrating no bias in favour of white prisoners on death row. Furthermore, the prediction of 7.2 executed coloured subjects compares well to the actual total of eight. Both white and coloured populations are proportionally represented.
Five black prisoners were executed, against 2.4 expected; and one Hispanic/Latino was executed, against 3.4 expected. The 2.6 increase in blacks is balanced by the 2.4 decrease in Hispanics/Latinos.
You can demonstrate anything with statistics, Bernd, as long as you don't think about it too much. (pipe)
The other factors that might come into play here are the racial breakdown of the prison population as a whole, and death row inmates in particular. But Debusmann doesn't mention them, and I can't be arsed reading the Death Penalty Information Center's report. So, yeah. (shrug)
* The census gives the following breakdown for whites and Hispanics/Latinos. The larger white population includes Hispanic/Latinos. So, if they're counted separately, and included as part of the coloured population, the smaller white population should be used. Otherwise, they're being double-counted, innit Bernd?
| Race | % | Definition (from US census) |
|---|---|---|
| White alone | 75.8 | A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as "White" or report responses such as German, Irish, English, Italian, Lebanese, and Egyptian. The category also includes groups such as Polish, French, Iranian, Slavic, Cajun, Chaldean, etc. |
| White alone, not Hispanic or Latino | 59.3 | White alone, not Hispanic or Latino are individuals who responded "No, not Spanish/Hispanic/Latino" and who reported "White" as their only entry in the race question. |
| Hispanic or Latino | 18.9 | The terms “Hispanic,” “Latino,” and “Spanish” are used interchangeably. Some respondents identify with all three terms while others may identify with only one of these three specific terms. People who identify with the terms “Hispanic,” “Latino,” or “Spanish” are those who classify themselves in one of the specific Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish categories listed on the questionnaire (“Mexican, Mexican Am., or Chicano,” “Puerto Rican,” or “Cuban”) as well as those who indicate that they are “another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin.” People who do not identify with one of the specific origins listed on the questionnaire but indicate that they are “another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin” are those whose origins are from Spain, the Spanish-speaking countries of Central or South America, or another Spanish culture or origin. Origin can be viewed as the heritage, nationality group, lineage, or country of birth of the person or the person’s parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States. People who identify their origin as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish may be of any race. |