Hall V. Florida Case Analysis

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Pages: 2

It is important to note the difference between the intellectually challenged and the mentally ill for the sake of this assignment. An intellectual disability means that a person has difficulty learning, understanding, processing information and problem solving. There may also be difficulties regarding communication and social skills. On the other hand, mental illness affects emotions, mood, perceptions, and behavior. People with all levels of intellectual ability can suffer from mental illness; however, it is possible that an individual can suffer from both an intellectual disability and a mental illness. Michelle Armstrong addresses the death penalty as it relates to vulnerable defendants. She then discusses how the Hall v. Florida case changed the death penalty for mentally ill defendants. The article compares the mentally ill from the insane, giving vital information on how the insane are …show more content…
Particular groups include juveniles, the insane, and the intellectually disabled offenders. For these groups, society has determined that they need protection due to their vulnerable state. According to the article, growing reliance on medical expertise is one important reason imposing the death penalty upon vulnerable groups is now considered cruel and unusual. As society has come to utilize medical expertise, the Supreme Court’s death penalty jurisprudence has come to mirror that use. For the insane, the court held that an offender claiming insanity cannot be sentenced to death without psychiatric evaluations to confirm or dispel the presence of a mental disorder. With the intellectually disabled, the court relied on opinions and standards of medial experts to define intellectual disability. Therefore, it is without question that not all evaluations are equal. The courts have only prohibited the execution of an offender who meets the “clinical definition” of intellectual