Guilty pleas by race

• Over the 12-year period covered by DOJ's study between 1988 and 2000, 49 % (24 of 49) of white defendants for whom the Attorney General authorized the death penalty were subsequently allowed to plead guilty, thus avoiding the death penalty. See Survey of the Federal Death Penalty System (1998 - 2000), United States Department of Justice, Sec. B (1) Plea Agreements, 33-35 (September 12, 2000).
• By contrast, only 27% (28 out of 105) of African-American defendants and 27% (10 out of 37) of Hispanic defendants authorized for the death penalty were allowed to plead guilty. Thus, white capital defendants have been almost 75 percent more likely than Hispanic and African-American defendants to benefit from a plea agreement. See Table: Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Federal Death Penalty Decision-Making 1988-2000].