Criminal justice administrators in the United States have been challenged by a highly visible accusation of racial discrimination. This perception has weakened the confidence in, and support of, our judicial process. This study attempted to clarify this perception by examining the effect of race on certain judicial decisions related to the death penalty. The variables chosen for analysis focused on the persons involved in the homicide, the circumstances of the crime, and decisions made during the processing of capital cases.

The thesis is a comparative study of two campaigns waged against capital punishment. Specifically, it is an examination of the public arguments and legislative action which transpired in Oregon and Great Britain when their respective legislatures considered and then approved laws to abolish the penalty of death for the crime of murder -- Oregon in 1963 and Britain in 1965.