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CJM CEMNAL.JIST1CEMATTIRS DEATH ROW WOMEN Death sentences and constitute less than 3% of the total of 18,922 confirmed executions in the executions for female United States since 1608. The last female offenders. offender executed was Velma Barfield in North Carolina on November 2,1984, the only female among about 330 Victor L Streib offenders executed in the post-Furman era* (1973-present). Prior to this current The death penalty for women is back in era, the last female offender executed the headlines. The state of South was Elizabeth Ann Duncan, executed Carolina unsuccessfully sought the death by California on August 8, 1962. The penalty for Susan Smith, convicted of annual rate of death sentences for female having drowned her young children last offenders has remained around five or year. This was an unusual case, in that six (2% of the annual total) for many the death penalty for a mother who years. murders her own children is quite rare. Death sentences and actual Only eleven (10%) of the 113 death executions forfemale offenders are also sentences imposed upon female rare in comparison to such events for offenders since 1973 have been for the male offenders. In fact, women are more murder of their own children, and only likely to be dropped out of the system six (13%) of the forty-six women the furtherthe capital punishment system offenders now under death sentences progresses. have been sentenced to death for such remarkably from eighteen to sixty-seven. • Women account for about one in Two thirds of their victims were white, eight (13%) murder arrests; and two-thirds were adult males (where • Women account for only one in fifty these data are known). The most typical The actual execution of (2%) death sentences imposed at the crimes of these women involved the another woman in the United trial level; murder of the offender's husband or lover. • Women account for only one in Several of these female offenders were States seems likely to occur seventy (1.5%) persons presently battered women who killed their batterers in the next year or so. on death row; and or victims chosen by their batterers. • Women account for only one in 330 The present ages of these forty-six (0.3%) persons actually executed in Attention was also drawn to the case female death row inmates range from this modern era. of Pamela Perillo in Texas, who had twenty-two to seventy-seven years old. been scheduled for execution in In sum, women are unlikely to be They have been on death row from one September 1995 and again early in 1996. arrested for murder, extremely unlikely to fourteen years. Despite the statistically This scheduled execution was delayed to be sentenced to death, and almost high probability (99%) that death- when an appellate court granted another never executed. sentenced female offenders will never hearing in Perillo's case. Another be executed, some of these women have prominent case in the news was that of Of the 113 death sentences for female nearly exhausted their appeals. Another Guinevere Garcia in Illinois, scheduled offenders imposed since 1973 only forty- execution of a female offender seems originally to be executed on January 17, six sentences remain currently in effect. likely within the next few years. _ 1996. Garcia had been under a death One such sentence resulted in an sentence for only just over three years, execution (Velma Barfield) and another Victor L Streib is Dean and Professor making her one of the more recent sixty-six death sentences were reversed of Law, Ohio Northern University. additions to the death rows for women. or commuted to life imprisonment. Thus, Garcia steadfastly refused to fight her for the sixty-seven death sentences death sentence and repeatedly asked to finally resolved (excluding the forty six * The current American death be executed as soon as possible. still in effect and still being litigated) penalty era began when new However, only a few hours before her the reversal rate for female death death penalty statutes were scheduled execution, the Governor of sentences in the current era is 99%. (66/ passed following the Supreme Illinois commuted her sentence to life 67). Court's decision in Furman in imprisonment. Neither Perillo nor 1972, which in effect struck Garcia were executed, but the actual down all then-existing death execution of another woman in the Women are unlikely to be penalty statutes. Sentencing United States seems likely to occur in arrested for murder, began underthe new statutes in the next year or so. 1973 and continues through to- extremely unlikely to be day. Although the constitution- In general, both the female death sentenced to death, and ality of these current era stat- sentencing rate and the female death utes were not recognised for- row population remain very small in almost never executed. mally by the United States Su- comparison to that for males. Actual preme Court until 1976 in Gregg execution of female offenders is quite Well over one-half of the women on and actual executions did not rare, with only 514 documented death row are white. One fourth were in begin until 1977, the current era instances beginning with the first in their forties or older at the time of their of sentencing began in 1973. 1632. These 514 female executions crimes, with the total age range QM No. 25. Autumn 1996 17.

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