17. Refer to Table 15.4 on death penalty verdict, defendant's race, and victims' race.

a) Construct the bivanate table relating defendant's race to death penalty verdict. ignor- ing victims race Calculate the conditional distribution on the death penalty verdict. for each race of defendant.

b) Construct partial rabies relating death penalty verdict to defendant's race treating vic- tims' lace as a control variable. For each partial table, describe the association by com- puting the difference between the proportions of white and black defendants who received the death penalty. Interpret.

c) Notice that the association changes direction when we control for victims race; that is, in the bivariate table relatively more whites received the death penalty, but in each partial table relatively more blacks received the death penalty. (This is Simpson's paradox; see Problem 108d) By describing how victims' race is associated with each of these van- ables, explain why the partial association differs as it does from the bivariate association.

d) For these variables, indicate whether each of the following diagrams seems to provide a reasonable model. Give your reasoning. (Ilere. P = death penalty, D = defendant's race. V victims' race) ii. D V P iii. iv.

e) Is it plausible that victims' race may be a suppressor variable? Why or why not"