In 1998, Kentucky became the only state to pass a racial...

In 1998, Kentucky became the only state to pass a racial justice act. None of the 39 men on death row in Kentucky was convicted of killing a black person. Of the 39, 8 are black. That's 20.5%, or nearly three times the percentage of blacks in Kentucky. In Kentucky, only one white man was executed for killing a black person. That was in 1936. Nationwide, of people on death row, 47% are white and 42% are black. The black population in the nation is about 13%. A number of studies, including one in Kentucky, have concluded that those accused of killing white people are more likely to be sentenced to death than those accused of killing a black person. A bill to eliminate the death penalty for inmates with mental retardation was defeated in 1999, as was a bill to raise the minimum age from 16 to eighteen.