Let’s talk about racism. It’s uncomfortable, but it must occur. You can’t talk about injustice in this country and not think about racism.
This article isn’t a history lesson. I’m not going to talk about slavery or MLK or anything like that. Although this country’s past does define many of the problems we have now, this article is about now. It’s about our criminal justice system and the racism that flows throughout it with respect to the death penalty.
This article isn’t about placing blame or white-guilt. This article is about acknowledging a serious flaw. However, I’ve found that sometimes if you want to make a statement, statistics just don’t do it. So, let me tell you about a boy named George Stinney.
George Stinney was a 14-year-old boy living in South Carolina in 1929. He lived during segregation, Jim Crow; a time when lynch mobs were still an acceptable form of justice. George was a young black male accused of murdering two little white girls.
George was arrested and interrogated, and he wasn’t allowed to see his parents. Allegedly, George confessed to the murders. His trial lasted 10 minutes, and an all-white jury convicted George. He was tried, convicted and sentenced all in the same day.
George Stinney died by the electric chair. Accounts say that George was so small there was difficulty fastening him into the chair. After George was hit with the volts, it only took a few minutes for him to die.
There was no physical evidence connecting him to the crime. He never had a lawyer, he never got to see his parents. All we have is his alleged confession after his interrogation.
Guilty or not, race played a significant part in this case.
According to the United States General Accounting Office, “82 percent of the studies found that the victim’s race influenced the likelihood of the defendant being charged with capital murder or receiving the death penalty.”
Since 1976, in cases with a white defendant and a black victim there have been 31 executions. In cases with a black defendant and a white victim, there have been 297 executions. However, statistically, black-on-black homicides and white-on-white homicides are significantly more common than interracial murder.
Of course, there are other racial groups, not just black and white. Across the board, all racial minorities experience significant racism in our criminal justice system.
We must maintain an awareness of race and how it impacts the decisions we make. Judges, juries, police officers and lawyers all have their own biases that don’t disappear once they engage in their work. They need to make sure that their biases don’t get in the way of justice and individuals’ rights.
Desiree Austin-Holliday is a J.D. candidate at Saint Louis University School of Law.
