NCJ Number
116332
Journal
American Journal of Psychiatry Volume: 145 Issue: 5 Dated: (May 1988) Pages: 585-589
Date Published
1988
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Of the 37 juveniles currently condemned to death, all of the 14 incarcerated in 4 States received comprehensive psychiatric, neurological, neuropsychological, and educational evaluations.
Abstract
Of these, nine had major neurological impairments, seven suffered psychotic disorders antedating incarceration, seven evidenced significant organic dysfunction on neuropsychological testing, and only two had full-scale IQ scores above 90. In addition, 12 had been brutally physically abused, and 5 had been sodomized by relatives. On the basis of this evaluation of approximately 40 percent of the juvenile death row population, results suggest that juveniles condemned to death in the United States are multiply handicapped. Theoretically, all of the described vulnerabilities were potentially mitigating factors that, coupled with youthfulness, would have argued against the imposition of a death sentence. Unfortunately, these cognitively handicapped juveniles had little if any recognition of the existence of these vulnerabilities, much less of their relevance to issues of mitigation. In fact, they almost uniformly tried to hide evidence of cognitive deficits and psychotic symptoms. The parents were inadequate to assisting in their children's defense because of their own psychopathoplogy, and the lawyers defending these youth lacked the necessary time and expertise required for clinical documentation. 16 references and 5 tables. (Author abstract modified)