Death penalty statistics in North Carolina are fairly typical- black defendants twice as likely to get the death sentence, defendants whose victims are white get the big sleep three and a half times more than those with non-white victims. To their credit, the NC senate just passed The Racial Justice Act, which would prevent the execution of defendants who can prove race was an underlying factor in seeking or imposing the death penalty. Though proving racial bias could prove to be a legal can of worms, this is certainly a step in the right direction. Defendants will have a year to appeal and if successful, their sentences would be reduced to life without parole.
There have actually been no executions in NC for three years because the state medical association threatened to sanction any doctor participating in executions ( What self respecting doctor so desperate for business as to take a gig like this I can’t imagine). But Republican Phil Berger added an amendment to the Racial Justice Bill which would prevent doctors from being disciplined for this grisly duty thus enabling the Old North State to start executing again. One step forward………
