The Decline of the Death Penalty and the Discovery of Innocence

Frank R. Baumgartner
Suzanna De Boef
Amber Boydstun

Cambridge University Press, 2008

Datasets, Stata Do-Files, Stata Log-Files

This page contains original data files (generally in Stata *.dta format) used in various analyses in the book, as well as command files used to create the analyses reported there (*.do files), and log files showing the computer output from our original analyses (*.log files). Data are arranged by the Table or Figure in the book in which they are used. For Figures in which we report annual or quarterly data, but where these data were aggregated from individual-level data files, we provide the raw data and do files here as well. For any Table in which we simply report data directly from the source indicated in the text or note to the table, we provide no additional information here. "Input" and "output" files are indicated in those cases where the data originally come from one source (the "input" file) but are aggregated to produce the "output" dataset, which generally is the data reported in the analysis. If only a single "dta" file is listed, no transformation was necessary.

In addition, for each figure in the book, we provide the original *.xls file containing the actual figure reproduced in the book as well as the underlying data.

Table Number Name DTA file DO file LOG file
2.3 States with an Increase in Executions Between 1945-1975 and 1976-2006. dta do log
4.1 An Exhaustive List of Arguments input output do log
5.1 Major Evolutionary Frames and Their Salience, 1964–2005.      
6.1 Explaining Public Opinion on the Death Penalty, Quarterly 1977q1-2005q4. dta do log
6.2 The Impact of Various Scenarios on Public Opinion, Quarterly. dta do log
6.A1 Explaining Public Opinion on the Death Penalty, Quarterly 1977q1-2005q4. dta do log
7.1 Explaining the Number of Annual Death Sentences, 1963-2003. dta do log
7.2 The Impact of Various Scenarios on Annual Death Sentences. dta do log
         
Figure XLS file containing the actual figure published in the book as well as the underlying data DTA file DO file LOG file
2.1 Executions in the US, 1800-2002. input output do log
2.2 The Cumulative Number of Countries Having Abolished the Death Penalty, 1863-2006.      
2.3 Executions by State, 1977-2006.      
2.4 The Percentage of Executions by Region, by Historical Period. dta do log
2.5 Death Sentences by Region, 1977-2005.      
2.6 Executions by Region, 1984-2006.      
2.7 Executions by Race, 1800-2002. input output do log
2.8 Total Death Sentences Compared with Sentences in "Top 5" States, Other 45 States, and Federal 1977-2005.      
2.9 Capital Sentences, Executions, and the Death Row Population.      
2.10 Exonerations from Death Row, 1973-2006. input output do log
2.11 Exonerations (DNA and Otherwise) Including Non-Capital Cases, 1989-2003.      
2.12 American Responses to the Question "Do You Favor the Death Penalty in the Case of Murder," 1953-2006.      
3.1 Annual Number of Exoneration Stories as Archived in Lexis-Nexis, 1973-2005.      
3.2 Number of Stories about Death Row Exonerees, Plotted by Date of Exoneration, 1973-2005.      
3.3 Yearly Attention to the Five Exonerees with the Most Stories, Plotted by Date of Exoneration, 1992-2005.      
4.1 The Number of Stories on Capital Punishment in the New York Times Index, 1960-2005. input output do log
4.2 Front-Page Stories on Capital Punishment in the New York Times Index, 1960-2005. input output do log
4.3 Pro- and Anti-Death Penalty Stories in the New York Times Index, 1960-2005. input output do log
4.4 The Net Tone of New York Times Index Coverage, 1960-2005. input output do log
4.5 Topics of Attention in the New York Times Index, 1960-2005. input output do log
4.6 The Number of Stories Mentioning Innocence, Evidence, Flaws in the System, or Defendant Characteristics, 1960-2005. input output do log
4.7 The Topic Determines the Tone. input output do log
4.8 Tone and Mention of Victim and Defendant. input output do log
4.9 Tone of Coverage by Characteristics of the Victim. input output do log
4.10 Tone of Coverage by Characteristics of the Defendant. input output do log
4.11 The Number of Stories Mentioning the Victim and the Defendant, 1960-2005. input output do log
4.12 The Net Attention to Victims and Defendants, 1960-2005. input output do log
4.13 The Number of Stories on Capital Punishment in the Readers' Guide, 1960-2005.      
4.14 The Net Tone of Readers' Guide Coverage, 1960-2005.      
4.15 New York Times Attention to the Death Penalty as Compared to Other Papers, Monthly, 1980-2005.      
4.16 New York Times Attention to the Innocence Frame as Compared to Other Papers, Monthly, 1980-2005.      
4.17 Attention to the Innocence Frame in the New York Times and the Houston Chronicle, Monthly, 1986-2005.      
5.1 Persistence of Major Evolutionary Frames and Component Arguments, 1964-2005.      
5.2 Weighted Attention to Major Evolutionary Frames and Their Component Arguments, 1964-2005.      
5.3 Weighted Attention to Evolutionary Frames over Time, 1964-2005.      
5.4 Salience of Innocence Frame Component Arguments over Time, 1964-2005.      
5.5 Comparing Net Tone from Figure 4.4 to Evolutionary Net Tone, 1964-2005.      
6.1 Public Support for the Death Penalty: Gallup and NORC, Yearly 1953-2006.      
6.2 An Index of Public Support for the Death Penalty, Yearly 1953-2006.      
6.3 Indices of Public Support, Opposition, and Net Support for the Death Penalty, Yearly 1953-2006.      
6.4 Public Opinion Indices, Quarterly 1977q1-2006q2.      
6.5 Front Page New York Times Coverage of the War on Terror, Monthly 2001(Jan)-2006(Dec).      
6.6 Simulating Public Opinion on the Death Penalty I, Quarterly 1977q1-2005q4. dta do log
6.7 Simulating Public Opinion on the Death Penalty II, Quarterly 1977q1-2005q4. dta do log
7.1 Annual Death Sentences, 1961-2005.      
7.2 Annual Death Sentences: Actual vs. Predicted Values, 1962-2005. dta do log
7.3 Simulating Death Sentences I. dta do log
7.4

Simulating Death Sentences II.

 dta do log

Many of the tables and figures make use of these raw data files:

This spreadsheet gives a complete step-by-step description of how to create the EFA analysis. (Note: updated and improved instructions added November 14, 2008.)

Coding instructions for media references to individual exonerees (see Figures 3.2 and 3.3).

Coding instructions for media references to innocence across nine newspapers (see Figures 4.16 and 4.17).