In Atkins v. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the execution of mentally retarded offenders is constitutionally prohibited by the Eighth Amendment—a holding directly opposite to the conclusion it reached on this issue 13 years previously in Penry v. Lynaugh. This article examines the specific holdings in these two landmark decisions dealing with mentally retarded capital offenders as well as the roles they play in the evolution of the Supreme Court’s capital punishment jurisprudence.
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6.
Callins v. Collins, 510 U.S. 1141 (1994).
7.
Carver, S. A. (1991). Note: Retribution—a justification for the execution of mentally retarded and juvenile murderers. Oklahoma City University Law Review, 16, 155-230.
8.
Coker v. Georgia, 433 U.S. 584 (1977).
9.
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10.
Dupler, B. L. (1999). Another look at evolving standards: Will decency prevail against executing the mentally retarded?Oklahoma Law Review, 52, 593-611.
11.
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12.
Enmund v. Florida, 458 U.S. 782 (1982).
13.
Entzeroth, L. (2001). Putting the mentally retarded criminal defendant to death: Charting the development of a national consensus to exempt the mentally retarded from the death penalty. Alabama Law Review, 52, 911-941.
14.
Ford v. Wainwright, 477 U.S. 399 (1986).
15.
Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972).
16.
Garvey, S. (1998). Aggravation and mitigation in capital cases: What do jurors think?Columbia Law Review, 98, 1538-1576.
17.
Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153 (1976).
18.
Harmelin v. Michigan, 501 U.S. 957 (1991).
19.
Heller v. Doe, 509 U.S. 312 (1993).
20.
Human Rights Watch. (2001). Beyond reason: The death penalty and offenders with mental retardation. Retrieved October 15, 2001, from www.hrw.org
21.
In re Kemmler, 136 U.S. 436 (1890).
22.
Louisiana ex rel. Francis v. Resweber, 329 U.S. 459 (1947).
23.
McCarver v. North Carolina, 532 U.S. 941 (2001a).
24.
McCarver v. North Carolina, 533 U.S. 975 (2001b).
25.
Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999).
26.
Penry v. Johnson, 532 U.S. 782 (2001).
27.
Penry v. Lynaugh, 492 U.S. 302 (1989).
28.
Reed, E. F. (1993). The Penry penalty: Capital punishment and offenders with mental retardation. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
