Conservatives Oppose the Death Penalty for Individuals with Severe
Mental Illness
November 12, 2017
As conservatives and libertarians, we strongly believe that our government should
not impose the death penalty on defendants with severe mental illness. The
frequent intersection of mental illness and capital punishment is a moral and fiscal
issue that ought to concern all Virginians who care about the sanctity of life,
individual rights, and freedom from government tyranny.
We support legislation in Virginia that would exclude people with severe mental
illness present at the time of their offense from the death penalty. Under such
legislation, offenders with severe mental illness could be prosecuted, convicted, and
if found guilty sentenced to life in prison without the chance of release — but could
not be executed.
For this narrow exemption to apply, defendants would be required to provide
documented evidence of a mental illness that is so severe that it prevented them
from fully understanding reality or their actions’ consequences.
The US Supreme Court has already declared that it is unconstitutional to execute
those with an intellectual disability (i.e., mental retardation) because these
individuals cannot fully comprehend their actions, grasp their crimes’
consequences, or understand the complex legal processes that they face. Yet, many
of those suffering from severe mental illnesses share these same limitations.
Many pro-life conservatives believe that society’s most vulnerable ought to be
protected, not discarded. People with mental illnesses suffer from diagnosable
psychological disorders. Their illnesses are not the result of their choices or their
lack of personal responsibility.
While some death penalty proponents purport that executions deter murders, there
is absolutely no credible evidence to suggest that executions deter those who do
not understand their actions’ consequences. Thus, capital punishment is
unquestionably rendered completely useless as a general deterrent to those
stricken with severe mental illnesses.
Seeking the death penalty for those with severe mentally illness is costly and
ineffective, and it violates many core conservative beliefs. Capital proceedings are
expensive boondoggles that are far costlier than the alternatives.
If we exempt those with severe mental illnesses, the state of Virginia would save
significant sums of taxpayer dollars that could instead be used to invest in effective
programs. The use of capital punishment against the severely mentally ill is both
fiscally inefficient and fundamentally unjust.
Our values of fiscal responsibility and the dignity of life compel us to support
legislation to exempt defendants with severe mental illnesses from the death
penalty. This exclusion will ensure that defendants with severe mental illness -
while punished to the extent that justice requires - are treated with dignity and
mercy.
Conservatives Oppose the Death Penalty for Individuals with Severe Mental
IlIness
November 12, 2017
| agree with this statement and am willing to be publicly identified as a supporter.
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