Executing the Mentally Ill: The Criminal Justice System and the Case of Alvin Ford
Based on the case of Alvin Ford, an American death row inmate, this thought-provoking book focuses on the issues raised when the criminal justice system attempts to apply the death penalty to the mentally impaired.\ Issues addressed include: the definition of mental illness for the purposes of exemption from execution; the evaluation of competence for execution by mental health professionals; the consequences of disagreements among health professionals about a defendant's mental...
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Based on the case of Alvin Ford, an American death row inmate, this thought-provoking book focuses on the issues raised when the criminal justice system attempts to apply the death penalty to the mentally impaired. Issues addressed include: the definition of mental illness for the purposes of exemption from execution; the evaluation of competence for execution by mental health professionals; the consequences of disagreements among health professionals about a defendant's mental status; and the fate of prisoners who are exempted. Ford's unique case leads the authors to examine more general issues such as the involvement of health professionals in modern capital sentencing, as well as the administration of the death penalty.
AcknowledgmentsPreface1Drawing the Lines: Who Lives and Who Dies?12An Introduction to Alvin Ford113Family Background, the Crime, and Trial: 1953-1974214Anticipating and Enduring the First Death Warrant: 1975-1981415Psychological Deterioration and the Road to the Supreme Court: 1982-1986596Physicians, Mental Health Professionals, and the Death Penalty907Alvin Ford and the Courts: Additional Issues1198Competence for Execution: The Supreme Court Speaks1369Back to Federal Court: The 1988 Hearing and Beyond14610The Cure That Kills162Appendix183References185Index195About the Authors199
