When asked why death row is more effective than life in prison without parole, Don Mahaney stated that Death row is an extremely mental situation that presses on the minds of death row inmates. “There is no freedom per say or the ability to converse or build a bonding friendly relationship with fellow inmates. Convicts who receive the death penalty sit in a one-man cell staring at walls and wondering how much longer do they have to live?” (D. Mahaney, personal interview, May 2019)
Furthermore, Mahaney believes that if a crime is extremely heinous in nature then those are the criminals that deserve to be put to death. He does state that there are some that criminals that may have committed a worse crime than those on death row that are serving life without parole, but it all comes down to what kind of plea deal the inmate received in court.
Additionally, Mahaney does indeed say that there has always been a racial bias when it comes to the death penalty. In his opinion, there have been many careful statistical studies indicating that race plays a significant role in determining who lives and who dies. “Prosecutors are more likely to seek the death penalty when the race of the victim is white and less likely when the race of the victim is African American.” (D. Mahaney, personal interview, May 2019)
The Death Penalty 