While researching Maryland's death penalty figures for this article, I came across this delightful Univ. of Maryland study that claims that the death penalty is racist because it disproportionately affects blacks. Naturally, the usual suspects jumped on the percentages to further their weak-kneed cause to abolish capital punishment.

Maryland's death row is one of the most racially biased in the nation. 69% of the men on death row are African American.

100% of the murder victims of the men on death row are White. This is true even though African Americans persistently constitue over %80 of the victims of homicide in the state of Maryland.

That sounds damning, until you actually look at the numbers and realize that there have been only 4 executions since 1977, and there are currently only 9 people on death row. Using a sample size that small would normally get you laughed out of statistics class.

Reading the study itself, you find out that the University of Maryland researchers did indeed focus on the 13 people who received death sentences in the last 28 years. They note that the authors of the study "identified 415 homicides that were deemed to be "death eligible" (they presented facts which legally qualified them for the death penalty), 90 of which resulted in a penalty phase hearing."

So, in order for the conclusion to be true - that Maryland's death penalty is racist - 402 of the murders must have either been committed by whites, or involved black on black crime. Only 13 (or 3%) were actually given the death penalty. It should also be noted that of the 4 people executed since 1977, two of them (50%) are white.

But like I said, when you are talking about 13 people, statistics don't matter much.