KILLER COUNTIES: Geographic Arbitrariness and the Symbolic Functions of the U.S. Death Penalty

Abstract

In the U.S., a mere 2% of counties are responsible for 52% of the nations’ executions and 56% of its death row. In this thesis, I present a novel, multivariate hypothesis that examines the relationship between demographics of neighboring counties to explain why those counties pursue the death penalty so much more frequently than others. I hypothesize that middle- to upper-class, majority-white, low-crime suburbs that neighbor predominantly black, high-poverty, high-crime cities are more susceptible to the societal threat and fear of outsiders triggered by violent crimes and thus leverage their outrage to pressure elected officials into using the death penalty as a symbolic defense against their fears. I draw from relevant social and political theory to present a theoretical understanding of the causal pathways through which demographic patterns generate increased death penalty activity. To evaluate my hypothesis, I focus on the case study of Virginia using both qualitative and quantitative methods. I evaluate the rhetoric used in capital trial transcripts, local news coverage, and online forums to investigate the link between public sentiment and the stated motivations of death-seeking prosecutors. Next, I present demographic and crime data from counties in Virginia to evaluate the generalizability of my hypothesis and find that the most prolific death-seeking counties in Virginia fit the demographic profile delineated in my hypothesis. Overall, I contribute to the literature on death penalty geography by presenting preliminary evidence for my multivariate, relational hypothesis and presenting a new theoretical and methodological framework that can be tested in other states throughout the U.S.