This research examines the merits of deterrence theory regarding celerity of executions. Specifically, I consider three measures of celerity, the length of time offenders wait from the offense, conviction, and sentence to investigate whether homicide rates are influenced by how quickly executions are carried out. Deterrence theory argues that in order for punishments to be effective deterrents for crime they must be adequately severe, certain, publicized and swift. To date, most studies that focus on the deterrent value of the death penalty focus on severity, certainty, and the publicity of executions with far less empirical attention being paid to the issue of celerity. Only two studies have tackled the issue of celerity of executions, and they came to contradictory findings. Thus, we do not know if quicker executions are associated with reductions in homicides.
Most previous studies examining the deterrent effect of the death penalty examine only general homicide rates. To broaden our understanding of celerity of executions, I examine both general and race-specific homicide rates to assess whether race has a role in producing or inhibiting deterrence. I draw on the racial identity literature which asserts that racial categories tend to socialize and believe they have more in common with people who are similar in race to themselves. I also utilize arguments that stem from the communication literature which suggests that communication messages are best received by audiences from members of the same race. Furthermore, I argue that blacks and whites have different experiences with the criminal justice system, and as a result of these experiences they may develop different perceptions regarding the threat of punishment.
Drawing from the aforementioned perspectives, I argue that whites will only be deterred by how quickly white executions are carried out whereas blacks will be deterred by the speed of both black and white executions. In particular, I assess whether blacks and whites are equally responsive to how quickly executions are carried out, as well as, whether the effect of celerity varies with the race of the executed.
I use homicide data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Supplementary Homicide Reports for the years 1995, 2000, and 2004. Execution data come from Capital Punishment in the United States, 1973-2004 from the U.S. Department of Justice, and sociodemographic data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau. I employ negative binomial regression models that specify homicide rates as a function of the length of time capital offenders wait for executions controlling for theoretical, sociodemographic and time-period factors.
I find that longer waits prior to executions are not related to criminal killings. Irrespective of the measure of celerity considered the amount of time prior to an execution is not significantly related to state homicide rates. In fact, contrary to deterrence theory, my results indicate that executions and having individuals on death row may be contributing to higher rates of homicides rather than preventing them. During state-year groups where there are no executions, homicides among blacks are about thirty-six percent lower. State-year groups without anyone on death row have white homicide rates that are about forty percent lower than state-year groups with people on death row. These non-deterrence findings are consistent with a long line of prior research.