Does a person's income level affect the likelihood of him/her receiving the death penalty?

Question

if you believe it does explain why

Answer 1

If you can pay an attorney to do all the forensic research and to do all the other investigations pertaining to the murder case, then you got a better chance of getting chance of getting charged with a lesser crime.  As far as the death penalty goes:  it is said that it will only be handed down if the case was proven "beyond a resonable doubt"---and a good attorney who gets the money to defend his/her client and therefore has the financial resources to investigate will always be able to spread that "reasonable doubt" among the jury.  Public defenders usually do not get a lot of pay, they do not have the resources a paid lawyer has, and they usually do not have as much experience...so it is advantageous to hire a good attorney in a death penalty case(i.e. aggravated murder).  The issue of money comes up a lot when it comes to the racial disproportion in prisons.  Criminal lawyers do want to see their money up front and most blacks do not have money....

Answer 2

Yes.  Almost every person on trial in a capital case (facing the death penalty) cannot afford a private attorney.  The death penalty doesn't apply to the worst crimes but to defendents with the worst attorneys.  Court appointed attorneys are often trying their first capital case, and are underpaid, overworked, and completely unprepared for the sentencing phase unique to a death penalty trial. Some have shown up drunk and some have slept through trials.

Bottom line: when is the last time a wealthy defendent was sentenced to death, let alone executed???

Sources: www.deathpenaltyinfo.org.  Click on representation.

Answer 3

In a way yes. Rich people can get the best defense team money can buy unlike an poor person which usually means they poor person has a public defender who won't really put in all the leg work necessary to get the person  acquitted or life.  

Answer 4

Yes. If you are indigent and cannot afford to pay for an attorney you will have an overworked, ill prepared, public defender representing you. If you have gobs of money you can pay for the best team of attorneys to represent you.

Answer 5

Absolutely.

The operative thing in any trial is the skill of the lawyer.  There are hundreds of cases out there, of persons being sent to prison (and yes..sentenced to death), who are now being found to have not committed the crime.

You don't get a decent lawyer, without money to pay for one. Even if guilty, the best lawyer can find a way to have the person sentenced to life, instead of death.  

Answer 6

Since so few "rich" people commit murder it's a tough question to answer.

I would say that anyone who can afford quality legal representation has a better chance, if guilty, of avoiding the death penalty.  I had a friend charged with manslaughter (he did it) and his mother mortgaged her home and spent about $80,000 on a defense attorney and another $20,000 on an investigator.  He got a not guilty by reason of self defense verdict from the jury.