Introducing the Women’s Execution Database: Revising the Narrative of Gender and Executions with Empirical Evidence
The Death Penalty Information Center’s (DPIC) website states that, since 1608, 576 executions of women under civil authority have been carried out in the United States. The “Espy file”, cited by the DPIC, is widely considered to be the definitive dataset of all executions occurring between 1608 and...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| author | Corina Schulze |
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| description | The Death Penalty Information Center’s (DPIC) website states that, since 1608, 576 executions of women under civil authority have been carried out in the United States. The “Espy file”, cited by the DPIC, is widely considered to be the definitive dataset of all executions occurring between 1608 and 2002, but only lists about 365 executions of women. The following two major empirical contributions are offered: (1) source verification of the Espy file, suggesting that black women are especially undercounted and that the total number of executions is closer to 700, and (2) the provision of descriptive statistics demonstrating the variability of women’s to men’s execution ratios over time. This study’s primary purpose is the release and publication of a working dataset, the Women’s Execution Database (WEB), which is meant to generate interest in constructing a narrative that validates the importance of gender-focused theories requiring variables that represent gendered experiences with the death penalty. One example of how such a database can verify women’s erasure in mainstream discussions of capital punishment are WEB statistics demonstrating that active resistance to slavery and racism is verifiable via empirical evidence. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-93687a30ad6745ec962e23a802a2b076 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2411-5118 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sexes |
| spelling | doaj-art-93687a30ad6745ec962e23a802a2b0762025-08-20T02:21:50ZengMDPI AGSexes2411-51182025-06-01622710.3390/sexes6020027Introducing the Women’s Execution Database: Revising the Narrative of Gender and Executions with Empirical EvidenceCorina Schulze0Department of Political Science & Criminal Justice, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36688, USAThe Death Penalty Information Center’s (DPIC) website states that, since 1608, 576 executions of women under civil authority have been carried out in the United States. The “Espy file”, cited by the DPIC, is widely considered to be the definitive dataset of all executions occurring between 1608 and 2002, but only lists about 365 executions of women. The following two major empirical contributions are offered: (1) source verification of the Espy file, suggesting that black women are especially undercounted and that the total number of executions is closer to 700, and (2) the provision of descriptive statistics demonstrating the variability of women’s to men’s execution ratios over time. This study’s primary purpose is the release and publication of a working dataset, the Women’s Execution Database (WEB), which is meant to generate interest in constructing a narrative that validates the importance of gender-focused theories requiring variables that represent gendered experiences with the death penalty. One example of how such a database can verify women’s erasure in mainstream discussions of capital punishment are WEB statistics demonstrating that active resistance to slavery and racism is verifiable via empirical evidence.https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5118/6/2/27womenexecutionscapital punishmentEspy fileM. Watt Espythe Espy Papers |
| spellingShingle | Corina Schulze Introducing the Women’s Execution Database: Revising the Narrative of Gender and Executions with Empirical Evidence Sexes women executions capital punishment Espy file M. Watt Espy the Espy Papers |
| title | Introducing the Women’s Execution Database: Revising the Narrative of Gender and Executions with Empirical Evidence |
| title_full | Introducing the Women’s Execution Database: Revising the Narrative of Gender and Executions with Empirical Evidence |
| title_fullStr | Introducing the Women’s Execution Database: Revising the Narrative of Gender and Executions with Empirical Evidence |
| title_full_unstemmed | Introducing the Women’s Execution Database: Revising the Narrative of Gender and Executions with Empirical Evidence |
| title_short | Introducing the Women’s Execution Database: Revising the Narrative of Gender and Executions with Empirical Evidence |
| title_sort | introducing the women s execution database revising the narrative of gender and executions with empirical evidence |
| topic | women executions capital punishment Espy file M. Watt Espy the Espy Papers |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5118/6/2/27 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT corinaschulze introducingthewomensexecutiondatabaserevisingthenarrativeofgenderandexecutionswithempiricalevidence |