Social status affects all parts of daily life, from the food we eat to the cars we drive. Unfortunately, it may also affect who receives the ultimate punishment: the death penalty. While we know a defendant’s social status may influence sentencing, Scott Phillips (Law & Society Review, Dec 2009) examined capital punishment cases in Texas to see whether the victim’s social status affected District Attorney and jury decisions to seek and impose the death penalty.
Phillips finds that a defendant is six times more likely to receive the death penalty if the victim is of the highest social status than if they’re of the lowest social status. According to the study, if a victim is of the majority racial population, married or widowed, holds a college degree, and has a clean criminal record, his or her social status may increase the chances that the death penalty is sought and imposed in a case. Though they have no legal relevance to the case, these factors carry great weight—even in matters of life or death.
