On Thursday, May 7, a group of faith leaders in Fort Worth hand-delivered a letter to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, expressing concern over what appears to be an overly aggressive approach to charging people with crimes that could result in a death penalty sentence.
The findings were part of a report published by the Texas Defender Service. The study showed that a quarter (23%) of all death penalty trials in Texas occurred in Tarrant County, which accounts for only 7% of the state’s population. Additionally, 10% of all homicide charges resulted in no jail time. Of cases in which a judge dismissed the charges, 67% involved Black defendants, which suggests prosecutors are overly eager to charge that community with crimes when no crime was committed.
According to the letter addressed to District Attorney Phil Sorrells, the report “raises serious concerns about fairness, racial equity, and the proper exercise of prosecutorial discretion” in seeking the death penalty. “The data shows that current charging practices reinforce a two-track justice system that exposes some people to the harshest punishments while others face different outcomes under the same law.”
The faith leaders urged Sorrells to acknowledge the racial disparities in capital murder charges that dissolve under the weight of evidence and to stop filing capital murder charges when the evidence does not support them.
“The power to decide whether to pursue the death penalty is among the most significant powers a person can wield,” the letter said. “These findings raise profound moral questions about justice and equality; for this reason, we ask you to commit to reform urgently, as it is needed to build public trust and confidence in Tarrant County’s administration of justice.”
Signers of the letter included ministers and members of various Fort Worth churches and synagogues, nonprofit leaders, and the president of TCU’s Brite Divinity School.
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