Capital Punishment and its Racial Bias

When examining Texas law, an individual will be on death row if he or she poses a threat to society. For Duane Buck, he was sentenced for the murder of his ex-girlfriend in 1995. As illustrated by his defense lawyer, race is subject that can influence the factors associated with potential danger. The statement follow a string of cases where all of the defendants were either black or Latino. However, it was Buck's lawyer who made the claim first, leading it to become ineffective, and the Supreme Court to deny Buck's appeal later on. In any case, the Harris County was three times more likely to sentence a man who was black to death as opposed to one who was white. Regardless, capital punishment cannot be rationalized in the case of Duane Buck, nor any other.

 Race and the Death Penalty in Texas. (2016, April 02). Retrieved April 26, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/03/opinion/sunday/race-and-the-death-penalty-in-texas.html?mtrref=www.nytimes.com