Providing Computational Access to Records of American Capital Punishment

Gregory Wiedeman

University Archivist

University at Albany, SUNY

@GregWiedeman

Code4Lib 2019

National Death Penalty Archive

Image of Index card summaries of executions.

The ESPY File

• NSF-funded project in 1984 to create a dataset from the collection.
  • “The most often cited and used list of America’s legal executions”
• Researchers have traveled to view discrepancies with the source material
• Paul H. Blackman and Vance McLaughlin, The Espy File on American Executions: User Beware (2011)

Computational Analysis and the Death Penalty

• Furman v. Georgia (1972)
• Gregg v. Georgia, etc. (1976)
• Marvin Wolfgang and Marc Riedel Study (1973) and Maxwell v. Bishop
• David Baldus-led Georgia Study
• McCleskey v. Kemp (1987)
  • Found “racially disproportionate impact”
  • invalidated statistical analysis for 14th amendment claims
• Miller-El v. Dretke (2005)
  • Utilized statistical analysis for Batson challenge

The Digital Archive of Executions in the United States, 1608-2002

The “We”

Supporting Open-Source at UAlbany

• Systems and University staff had experience with enterprise systems
• On-site virtualized data center
• CLIR Grant demonstrated the value of the work we could do with more technology
• Archivists and Systems staff learned together collaboratively
  • Archivists took hands-on role with Rails, adapting and configuring systems
• Sustainability a work in progress
• Dependent on maintainers and open source community

Espy Metadata Creation Tool

• Samvera and Hyrax are Rails applications
• “Ramp up” plan for repository implementation and maintenance
• Makes connections between 4 difference sources
  • Small Index Cards
  • Large Index Cards
  • Reference Material
  • Espy File data
• Create new Espy Records backed by Data Model
• Make the computer do the boring work
• Focus on intellectual process of metadata creation

Screenshot of metadata creation tool to link records with redis autocomplete.

Screenshot of metadata creation tool displaying three types of source material.

Metadata Matters

• Espy File data demonstrated creators’ priorities, values, and mental framing that are inappropriate or conflict with our own

Metadata Matters

• General Data Improvements
  • “Crime Committed” changed to “Crime Convicted”
  • Added Date of Conviction to Date of Execution
  • ISO dates
  • First and last name in individual fields
  • Sex to become gender assigned
• Race does not conform to an established standard
• Feedback welcome!

“Unconfirmed” cases

“Unconfirmed” cases

Linked Data Problems

• Hard to find vocabularies with sufficient precision
• Create one?
  • Access to expertise, School of Criminal Justice, Advisory Board
• Issues with digital archival objects as well
• Archives may have a fundamental mission conflict with linked data
  • Archival description manages objects with minimal metadata by relying on context
  • Archives don’t aim to create objective/authoritative data

Screenshot of ArcLight, which is used with Hyrax and NCSU's Quicksearch to provide access.

Screenshot of ArcLight showing links to contextual archival description.

Screenshot of ArcLight highlighing links to contextual archival description.

Screenshot of JSON API provided by ArcLight.

Screenshot of document in Hyrax with contextual links provided by ArcLight API.

Providing Computational Access to Records of American Capital Punishment

https://archives.albany.edu

Gregory Wiedeman

University Archivist

University at Albany, SUNY

@GregWiedeman