A lottery of geography

Where a crime happens can be as important as what type of crime is committed in determining who lives and who dies.

  • Of those sentenced to death in Pennsylvania, more than half come from Philadelphia County, which accounts for only 14 percent of the state's population.

  • Although Philadelphia's murder rate is only about 3 times greater than that of Harrisburg, the proportion of those condemned to death is 11 times greater in Philadelphia.