Capital punishment in two judicial circuits in Georgia: A description of the key actors and the decision-making process.

Abstract

This article describes the process of decision making in caital cases in the overwhelmingly White justice system in two Georgia judicial circuits under Georgia's post-Furman death penalty statute. The study is intended to complement the statistical analyses done by other researchers in this area, by linking the behavior of various actors in the process over time to the incentives and sanctions of the system. The study shows how the system works to produce racial disparities and discrimination. Possible explanations for racial disparities and discrimination are examined.