Honors Theses

Document Type

Thesis

Date of Completion

12-2023

Academic Year

2023-2024

Department

History & Political Science

Academic Major

International Business

Second Academic Major

Political Science

Faculty Advisor

M. Liann Gallagher, Ph.D.

Abstract

There is an ongoing debate surrounding the criminal justice system, focusing specifically on the controversial topic of capital punishment. Highlighting a startling statistic—one in nine death row inmates being exonerated— a pivotal question arises of what factors influence sentencing outcomes? Seven variables, number of sentences, income of offender, region of sentencing, race of offender, gender of offender, and political affiliation of sentencing state, are considered to understand the variations in sentencing outcomes and assess the fairness of the current judicial process. Using an OLS regression analysis of data from all 50 U.S. states, the paper seeks to better understand capital punishment sentencing. Emphasizing the consequential decisions for individuals on death row, the study highlights the importance of understanding and addressing disparities in sentencing outcomes within the criminal justice system. The independent variables of region of sentencing, year since sentencing, and party affiliation were all significant. The remaining variables were not statistically significant.

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