Home : Death Penalty : Mental Illness

The ACLU Capital Punishment Project is committed to challenging the application of the death penalty to the seriously mentally ill.  Application of the death penalty to individuals suffering from serious mental illnesses does not comport with contemporary standards of decency and accordingly, violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.

Severely Mentally Ill ACLU Client Wins Appeal and is Sentenced to Life
On March 7, 2008, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the conviction and death sentence of Richard Taylor, a schizophrenic, psychotic and delusional former-death row inmate on multiple grounds, including the trial judge's failure to ensure that Taylor was competent at his three-day trial. Read more about the case >>

Indiana State Legislative Commission Proposed Legislation to Exempt Mentally Ill Defendants
In Panetti v. Quarterman, the Supreme Court found that a mentally ill person is entitled to Eighth Amendment protection if he does not have a rational understanding of the reason for his execution. Indiana’s special legislative commission took the next step and proposed legislation exempting the death penalty for all mentally ill defendants. Read the Indiana Commission’s report (PDF) >> (Off-site Link)

ABA Opposes Death Penalty for Mentally Ill
The American Bar Association's House of Delegates passed a resolution calling for the exemption of those with serious mental illness from imposition and execution of the death penalty. Read more about the resolution and explanation >> (Off-site Link)

North Carolina Mentally Ill Death Row Inmate Case Demonstrates the Need for Exemption
The case of Guy LeGrande, originally scheduled for execution in North Carolina on December 1, 2006, illustrates the need for an exemption to the death penalty for the seriously mentally ill.
> Blog: Highlighting Issues With Mental Illness and the Death Penalty (7/3/2008)

Mentally Ill Man Receives Life Sentence After 18 Years On Tennessee Death Row (06/03/2008)
NASHVILLE – A severely mentally ill man who spent 18 years on death row and whose conviction and death sentence were reversed by a Tennessee appeals court in March was sentenced to life imprisonment today. Richard Taylor, twice forced to stand trial despite his severe mental illness, agreed to the sentence in exchange for pleading guilty to the 1981 murder of a Tennessee prison guard – a crime committed only after prison officials stopped giving Taylor his anti-psychotic medication.

ACLU Urges Tennessee Appeals Court to Reverse Death Sentence of Mentally Ill Man (07/17/2007)
NASHVILLE - The American Civil Liberties Union and the Office of the Tennessee Post-Conviction Defender today urged the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals to reverse the conviction and death sentence of Richard Taylor, who is severely mentally ill.

ACLU of Virginia Asks Governor to Stop Execution of Mentally Ill Death Row Inmate (12/04/2006)
RICHMOND, VA - The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today asked Governor Tim Kaine to lift the death sentence for Percy Walton, a severely mentally ill man scheduled for lethal injection on December 8. Walton was originally sscheduled to be executed on June 8, but Governor Kaine delayed the execution for six months in order to conduct his own evaluation of Walton's mental condition.

Mental Illness and the Death Penalty in the United States (01/31/2005)

State of Tennessee v. Taylor - Opinion (03/07/2008)

State of Tennessee v. Taylor - Petition for Writ of Certiorari (02/15/2007)

State of Tennessee v. Taylor - Brief of Appellant Richard C. Taylor (08/25/2006)

State of Tennessee v. Taylor - Affidavit of Sergeant Dale Hunt (06/21/1996)

Hidden Evidence that Tennessee Guards Tortured Richard Taylor (08/27/2008)

Mental Illness and the Death Penalty in North Carolina 2007 (07/05/2007)
A diagnostic approach to analyzing the effects of the death penalty in North Carolina.

Off-Site Resources for News and Information on Capital Punishment (01/25/2007)

State of Tennessee v. Taylor - Proof of Torture of Richard Taylor by Prison Guards – Obtained by the ACLU of Tennessee (07/25/2006)

State of Tennessee v. Taylor - ACLU of Tennessee Public Records Request for Documents Related to Treatment of Richard Taylor While in Custody of State of Tennessee Department of Corrections (06/26/2006)

State of Tennessee v. Taylor (07/17/2007)
Severely Mentally-Ill ACLU Client is Sentenced to Life Imprisonment After Successful Appeal and 18 Years on Death Row

Mentally Ill Man Receives Life Sentence After 18 Years On Tennessee Death Row (06/03/2008)
NASHVILLE – A severely mentally ill man who spent 18 years on death row and whose conviction and death sentence were reversed by a Tennessee appeals court in March was sentenced to life imprisonment today. Richard Taylor, twice forced to stand trial despite his severe mental illness, agreed to the sentence in exchange for pleading guilty to the 1981 murder of a Tennessee prison guard – a crime committed only after prison officials stopped giving Taylor his anti-psychotic medication.

ACLU Urges Tennessee Appeals Court to Reverse Death Sentence of Mentally Ill Man (07/17/2007)
NASHVILLE - The American Civil Liberties Union and the Office of the Tennessee Post-Conviction Defender today urged the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals to reverse the conviction and death sentence of Richard Taylor, who is severely mentally ill.

ACLU of Virginia Asks Governor to Stop Execution of Mentally Ill Death Row Inmate (12/04/2006)
RICHMOND, VA - The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today asked Governor Tim Kaine to lift the death sentence for Percy Walton, a severely mentally ill man scheduled for lethal injection on December 8. Walton was originally sscheduled to be executed on June 8, but Governor Kaine delayed the execution for six months in order to conduct his own evaluation of Walton's mental condition.