Oregon daily emerald., April 30, 1987, Page 4, Image 4

Professor's studies play part in Supreme Court ruling
By Laurie Schwartz
Of Ihr Kmrrald
A University professor played a part in
a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme
Court.
Assistant psychology Professor Robert
Mauro’s study on racism and the death
penalty was one of three statistical
studies cited in the recent death penalty
decision
The court on April 'LL rejected a con
stitutional challenge to the death penalty
based on statistics showing racial
disparities in sentencing.
The study, which Mauro co-authored
while he was a graduate student and in
structor at Stanford University, examin
ed statistics from 17,000 homicides in
eight states The study found that in all
eight states the death penalty was more
likely to be administered in cases where
the victim was white rather than black.
Mauro's study found that in Ceorgia,
where the Supreme Court case
originated, homicide cases with white
victims were nine times more likely to
result in death penalty sentences than
cases with black victims
Before becoming involved in the
research, Mauro said In; “was vaguely
pro-death penalty (but) not seriously in
volved in the issue at all." He joined the
psychology department here in 1984.
Samuel Gross, the study's co-author,
initially drew Mauro into the study as a
statistical consultant.
After he researched the issue and read
other studies on the death penalty,
Mauro became opposed to it.
There isn’t any evidence that the death
penalty has more of a deterrent effect on
criminals than life imprisonment, he
said.
His study indicates that the racial ef
fects in capital sentencing are “huge and
they appear all over the place, not just in
a few states, although they were
strongest in a couple.“
The Supreme Court’s ruling accepted
the statistical studies as valid, but ruled
that a defendant must prove racism oc
curred in individual cases.
“The ruling, in .1 nutshell, is that the
death penalty is unfair, and they (the
court justices) are not concerned with
that as long as you can't prove deliberate
discrimination in particular cases,”
Mauro explained.
That approach is in serious conflict
with all sorts of discrimination laws in
other areas such as housing, he said.
Mauro also is interested in
psychological and sociological explana
tions for the discrimination the statistics
reveal.
Some theories are:
• Prosecutors may vary the seriousness
of their charges in cases involving black
victims compared to cases with white
victims.
• Police may not have as many resources
to get evidence in black communities as
in white communities.
• Jurors, who are predominantly white,
may identify with white victims more
than black victims.
Mauro currently is doing studies with
mock juries here at the University to test
this last theory.
Robert Mauro
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EMU Board
By Carolyn I.amberson
Of Ihr I inf-raid
The KMIJ hoard of directors
cut S21.41H from its budget
Wednesday to match the level
established hv the Incidental
Fee Committee.
The board asked the IFC for a
(i.ti percent increase, but the
committee gave it only a 5 per
cent increase at a hearing earlier
this month.
Karen Caffney, EMU Board
chairwoman, expressed con
cern that the money might be
difficult to find.
“As those of you involved in
the budget process know, we
went over these budgets with a
fine-tooth comb,” she said, ad
dressing the board. “I don’t
think that there is a lot of fat in
our programs.”
She also raised the question
of two staff positions that were
included in the budget after an
emergency hoard meeting. The
positions, one in the Outdoor
Program and the other in Club
Sports, were originally intend
ed to 1h; placed on the ballot
with positions for tin; ASIJO
('HiId (lare program.
But the IFC placed only the
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child care positions on the
ballot, leaving the board to
work the other positions back
into the budget.
EMIJ Director A dell
McMillan suggested a solution.
The board recently received its
hilling for insurance, and in
stead of being close to $30,000,
insurance will he closer to
$20,000. She suggested
eliminating the $11,000 posi
tion from the Outdoor Program
budget and reducing the in
surance line item.
This way, the Club Sports
program could have its position
(for a part-time secretary) at
$2,300, and the EMIJ would
still be within its budget.
Hoard member Matt Smith,
who has been arguing for the
Outdoor Program this year, was
concerned that Club Sports was
getting its position because it
cost less than the Outdoor Pro
gram position.
McMillan said she didn’t
knowr where the board would
find $11,000.
‘ ‘Twenty-three hundred
dollars is all we’ve got,” she
said.
The final vote was 7-0-1, with
Ixirry Johnson abstaining.
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