Capital Punishment

By Mariah Hopkins

General Context

Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned execution of an individual as punishment for a crime. The use of capital punishment has been defined by racial discrimination in its application with a disproportionate amount of those sentenced to death being Black. Furthermore, the odds of a death sentence being given is 97% higher in cases with a White victim in Louisiana compared to those with Black victims per the Death Penalty Information Center.

Capital punishment has been challenged in courts and has been the subject of debate on its morality throughout its history. Its constitutionality, whether it violates the eighth amendment particularly, has been questioned by courts across the U.S. including the Supreme Court per law scholars Carol Steiker and Jordan Steiker. Methods of execution have been examined to discuss whether they can be considered "cruel and unusual punishment," and lethal injection remains the most common form of execution ("Facts About…"). Previously, the electric chair was most commonly used, with "Gruesome Gertie" being the nickname of the electric chair used in Louisiana. Finally, innocence is an important factor in considering the death penalty's application as an average of 4 people are exonerated yearly after being wrongly convicted and placed on death row according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Connection to Novel

Jefferson is sentenced to death for the murder of Mr. Gropé by an all-white jury in the novel. Notably, Jefferson's crime is an interracial murder alleged to be committed by a Black man against a White man. His sentencing by a white jury is also a commonly discussed factor in the considerations of the death penalty's racial disproportionality, as Steiker and Steiker state that "racial discrimination in grand jury selection" is a common issue in the trials of Black defendants accused of murdering white victims (255). Jefferson is executed with the electric chair, possibly alluding to "Gruesome Gertie."