"Capital Punishment for the Mentally Ill?" - Jasmine Maldonado
Hometown: Bronx, New York
Class Year: 2009
Major: Philosophy Minor: Mathematics, East Asian Studies
Research Advisor: Professor Mathias
Project Description:
I became interested in the problem of executing mentally ill offenders as a result of interning at New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty. Juveniles and those who are mentally retarded cannot be executed for reasons I believe apply to those with mental illness. In my poster presentation I attempted to present the issues by looking at a specific case. Scott Panetti was set to be executed until the Supreme Court ruled otherwise in April 2006. The Supreme Court's decision exposes a need to reexamine how mentally ill offenders are handled in Court - especially in capital cases.