🚀 go-pugleaf

On Fri, 06 Oct 2000 08:51:27 -0500, Bill <bnospam.gross@airmail.net> said:
> On 5 Oct 2000 23:35:29 GMT, cmenzel@philebus.tamu.edu (Chris Menzel)
> wrote:
> > ...
> >Careful there, Steve.  In general, your points in this post are
> >well-taken, but the proportion of (almost inevitably poor) blacks on
> >death row is WAY out of proportion with their numbers in the general
> >population.  Moreover, over 80% of death penalty cases involve a white
> >victim, despite the fact that only 50% of murder victims nationally are
> >white.  There is an indisputable connection between race and the
> >application of the death penalty in the US, and especially in TX.
> 
> Chris, interestingly enough when this was an item of interest before
> the US Congress, that bodied turned to statisticians from Los Alamos
> Labs.  Those guys did some extensive work and determined it wasn't as
> you stated above.  This from an NPR report on those hearings.
> Interestingly enough, the NPR story used the statistical evidence as a
> toss off line.  Probably because it didn't support their desired point
> of view.
> 
> Oh, and before you really get too upset with me, I am an opponent of
> the death penalty.

Even if you weren't, there's not much in your post to get upset about,
Bill, as you're just reporting something you heard.  I'm not sure
exactly what you think the Los Alamos study showed was not so, but the
statistics regarding racial disparity have been verified repeatedly in
studies from a variety of agencies and organizations, including
governmental.  But I would certainly be interested in seeing the Los
Alamos study you cite. 

-chris