Execution of the Mentally Ill Revisited
Over the years I have pondered capital punishment. While decidedly "pro" in this regard, there have been instances where I have personally felt it was neither judicially applied nor particularly just punishment in the context of the perp viz a viz the crime. The conflicting attitudes regarding my wish for justice for the victim and some modicum of compassion for the criminal leaves me vexed with each successive execution which I mark as societally just until that time it is outlawed which likely will be never. |
While the decision regarding execution of the mentally ill condemned remains the purview of individual state jurisdictions, the US Supreme Court has prohibited execution of mentally ill inmates.
Known as the "Halloween Killer", Mr Lackey was convicted of killing Charlie Newman, an 80-year-old World War Two veteran by stabbing him 70 times in 2005. He was an acquaintance of the man's grandson.
Again, while I am decidedly "pro death penalty" the thought of executing a person possessing faculties which may be "outside of reality" definitely gives me pause. It is a difficult matter to weigh these decisions, particularly in cases of "volunteer" status -- and there are many on death row who "volunteer" for execution rather than spend years on death row ... whereas some opt for life in any circumstance.
The considerations encompass the resources required for incarceration, justice, the reality of guilt, the evolution of despair as an agent of intolerance of being locked up on death row, and the victims and the families. Although I cannot speak to the propriety of it all, but I am decidedly conflicted with the notion of executing the mentally ill. However, given the propensity for a number of inmates to volunteer for execution rather than endure prolonged incarceration ...
Could there be fates worse than as humane a death as criminal justice systems may provide?
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