I say the reason for the disproportionate statistics is because capital punishment is so contravertial. If we lived in a culture in which capital punishment were the norm, rich white criminals would not be able to hide behind the contraversy and the proportion would normalize somewhat. The racism is not a characteristic of capital punishment, but rather in the system that causes Af. Am. to receive inferior defense in court and in the jury. Yes, innocent people will die, but this is rare.
People say that it is much better to let a criminal live than killing an innocent.
However, this logic doesn't factor in the indirect deaths of innocents associated with letting the criminal live. The resources wasted in supporting these criminals will likely cause people to be poorer and more unrestful, causing more deaths. More criminals would be out there to kill. It has been said that putting someone to death costs more than keeping them for life. The real costs of CP are minimal, and the current cost will dwindle if CP becomes more established.