The Death Penalty and Mental Retardation and Mental Illness: The Issues of Culpability and Institutionalization.
This paper shall examine and qualify the issues surrounding the imposition of the death penalty onto the mentally retarded and the mentally ill. Within this paper, the phrase mentally ill shall be applied to those who are of normal intelligence yet who suffer from mannerisms or behaviors that alter their perceptions. The phrase mentally retarded shall be applied to individuals who suffer from conditions that result in lower intelligence and comprehension levels. This issue is loaded in terms of issues surrounding the morality of the situation: The fundamental question at stake within this particular issue is whether or not the mentally ill and the mentally retarded can be punished in the same manner as those who commit the same crimes and are considered to be of normal mental stability and functionality. 20 pgs. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
