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Stereotypes Put Innocent Women on Death Row
The justice system in America is not fair. When a woman commits a crime (or she’s accused), the police and court use information about her life that doesn’t prove her guilt. We’ll hear details about infidelity, housekeeping skills, and career choices. We rarely hear about why she committed the crime without gender-based suggestions, pointing out she wasn’t living up to the ideal woman/wife.
I read about a case a few days ago. The entire article painted the accused as a hypersexual woman who didn’t clean her house. While that may be grounds for divorce, it doesn’t prove she murdered her husband or children. The sad truth is that this is the way many prosecutors build cases. They put many women on death row for not living up to society’s view of what a woman should be.
2% Of Death Row Population Are Women
Although less than 2% of the death row population is women, they still face challenges getting their sentences overturned. They only commit 10% of the crimes nationwide. When they commit a crime, they rarely rape, assault, or kidnap their victims.
Many of their crimes are in the heat of the moment, crimes of passion. It is a one-time offense that has a low probability of it recurring. They don’t pose a risk to society.
