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Synopsis
There is no question that the death penalty is disproportionately imposed in cases involving defendants with mental disabilities. There is clear, systemic bias at all stages of the prosecution and the sentencing process - in determining who is competent to be executed, in the assessment of mitigation evidence, in the ways that counsel is assigned, in the ways that jury determinations are often contaminated by stereotyped preconceptions of persons with mental disabilities, in the ways that cynical expert testimony reflects a propensity on the part of some experts to purposely distort their testimony in order to achieve desired ends. These questions are shockingly ignored at all levels of the criminal justice system, and by society in general.
Here, Michael Perlin explores the relationship between mental disabilities and the death penalty and explains why and how this state of affairs has come to be, to explore why it is necessary to identify the factors that have contributed to this scandalous and shameful policy morass, to highlight the series of policy choices that need immediate remediation, and to offer some suggestions that might meaningfully ameliorate the situation. Using real cases to illustrate the ways in which the persons with mental disabilities are unable to receive fair treatment during death penalty trials, he demonstrates the depth of the problem and the way it's been institutionalized so as to be an accepted part of our system. He calls for a new approach, and greater attention to the issues that have gone overlooked for so long. New & Used
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What Reviewers Are Saying
Mental Disability and the Death Penalty is a meticulous and compassionate account of one of the most contentious issues in contemporary American criminal jurisprudence. Michael Perlin views the execution of prisoners with mental disability through the exacting lens of international human rights and finds the practice deeply morally and legally troubling. -- John Monahan, Shannon Distinguished Professor of Law, Psychology, and Psychiatry, University of Virginia Mental Disability and the Death Penalty is a devastating indictment of the administration of criminal justice in capital cases involving mentally disabled defendants.
Michael Perlin shows in distressing detail why justice for defendants with mental disabilities is jeopardized at every stage in the criminal process - from the moment of arrest to the last minute plea for a stay of execution.
Even death penalty supporters will find this book unsettling. Although Perlin drives home his message that people with mental disabilities are especially vulnerable to bias and mistake, his disquieting account prods the Supreme Court to abandon its 40-year effort to save the death penalty. -- Richard J. Bonnie, Harrison Foundation professor of law and medicine, professor of psychiatry and neurobehavioral sciences, professor of public policy, director of the institute of law, psychiatry and public policy, University of Virginia For more than three decades, Michael Perlin's bold, sensible, and comprehensive work has informed and shaped mental health law in the United States. In what may be his most important work so far, Perlin has framed a devastating case against the manner in which capital punishment has been used against people with serious mental illnesses. While his view is unabashed, Perlin always does his homework and treats his readers with refreshing respect and integrity. The result is both extremely readable and very persuasive. -- Joel A. Dvoskin, Ph.D., ABPP (Forensic), former president, American Psychology-Law Society, University of Arizona College of Medicine Professor Michael Perlin, perhaps the most well-known author on Mental Health Law, has added a most significant and comprehensive book on Mental Disability and the Death Penalty. He is courageous in his assault on the criminal justice system that has perverted the punishment of death, especially for those who are mentally retarded or mentally ill. He is forceful in his critique of all parties participating in death penalty cases involving the mentally disabled, including attorneys, judges, juries and expert witnesses. His experience as a former public defender, director of a state mental health advocacy program, and currently law professor have given him the broad perspective to analyze the death penalty as it is administered in the United States and throughout the world in an uneven and unfair manner. He expresses his hope that his treatise will bring sanity to the administration of justice when the death penalty is imposed on the mentally disabled. I share his concerns and his hopes: his book is an important beginning. -- Robert L. Sadoff, MD, clinical professor of forensic psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA This book is unique in bringing together much of the Supreme Court's jurisprudence in capital cases involving individuals with mental disabilities. . . . I applaud Perlin for tackling such an important topic and for bringing together various aspects of the Court's jurisprudence in this area. The book covers tremendous ground-examining no fewer than eleven subtopics related to mental disability and the death penalty. ... it may serve as a useful review of various death penalty topics for those who are regularly researching, writing, and working in this area. Moreover, Perlin's extensive quotations and citations to the Supreme Court and other scholars makes the book a good starting point for someone looking to write new scholarship in the field, or even begin a practice working with mentally disabled individuals who may face capital punishment. Overall, this book. . . will probably be most useful for scholars and practitioners who want to learn some of the basic issues facing mentally disabled persons at risk of being sentenced to death. In addition to serving as a good reference source for some important topics related to capital punishment, Mental Disability and the Death Penalty provides a distinguishing lens through which to view these issues. * Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books *
Michael Perlin shows in distressing detail why justice for defendants with mental disabilities
Even death penalty supporters will find this book unsettling. Although Perlin drives home his message that people with mental disabilities