Reduced from Death: Extra-legal Factors that are Associated with Getting Off Death Row

• In Event: Posters II

Abstract

The death penalty in the United States continues to be a controversial issue. States with the death penalty appear to be using it much less. Many states are also considering alternative sentencing rather than carrying out the death sentence, some sentences get commuted and decades of academic literature suggest that most states are imperfect regarding judicial processing and sometimes errors are made. Regardless of any legal reason, this study explores extra-legal factors which result in a reduction of sentence from the death penalty. This study reveals that factors such as prior military service and eye witness testimony may have contributed to a reduced sentence.

Author

• Wyatt Brown, Marshall University