by TChris

It shouldn't take another study to tell us what has been obvious for years: black on white crime is more likely to be punished by death than is white on black crime. Another study nonetheless concludes that the race of the victim is a significant factor in the imposition of the death penalty.

The murder of a white person, especially in nonurban counties, is far more likely to result in a California death sentence than urban crimes against minorities, according to a new study. Death penalty opponents say this new evidence that race and geography dictate how the state metes out capital punishment proves the system is skewed and must be halted at least until it is fixed.

The study will be presented to the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice, which was formed last year "to study causes and prevalence of wrongful convictions and wrongful executions in California, and to find ways to improve the system's fairness and accuracy."