Texas Killers of Peace Officers, Death Sentences & Executions: An Analysis

• In Event: Death Sentences and Executions in the U.S., Past and Present

Abstract

The state of Texas has the highest rate of executions in the United Sates since 1976, and has the third most populous death row. Using data from Texas’ two most populous counties, Dallas and Harris, this paper compares the death sentence rates and actual rate of execution for individuals who are convicted with the aggravator of killing a peace officer, to those without this aggravator. We also focus on Dallas and Harris counties because they have the highest rate of killing peace officers in Texas. All death penalty states include aggravating circumstances for killing a peace officer which includes police officers. Using a mixed methods approach, we first quantitatively evaluate the likelihood of conviction and execution rates for individuals with the peace officer aggravator who have killed a police officer, and compare rates with conviction and execution rates of other capital offenders. Preliminary results indicate there is a lower chance of execution for those convicted of killing a police officer than those convicted under other aggravating circumstances. Additionally, we will quantitatively explore publicly available data of Texas citizens’ attitudes towards the death penalty. Results are discussed as they relate to the effectiveness of aggravating circumstances in the sentencing of capital offenders.

Authors

• Sarah M. Lynch, American University

• Jason Fabrikant, American University