Book chapter
Of Capital Importance: Considerations in Capital Sentencing Contexts
The Oxford Handbook of Psychology and Law
27 Feb 2023
Abstract
Capital sentencing is the legal process by which homicide offenders are determined to be deserving either of a sentence of life imprisonment or a sentence of death. Due to the severe and irrevocable liberty deprivation that a death sentence represents, the US Supreme Court has gone to great lengths to ensure that death sentences are not levied in arbitrary and capricious fashion. In addition, they have restricted the classes of individuals the death penalty can apply to. This chapter reviews key Supreme Court case law pertaining to capital sentencing as well as highlights several vital factors for forensic mental health professionals to consider in conducting evaluations in accordance with the trial phase of capital sentencing proceedings. Said factors include assessment of mitigating factors for sentencing, assessment of intellectual disability in Atkins evaluations, and assessment of future dangerousness.
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1 citations in Scopus
Details
- Title
- Of Capital Importance
- Creators
- Jaymes Fairfax-Columbo - University of New MexicoAlexandra Kudatzky - Drexel UniversityBronwyn Neeser - University of New MexicoDavid DeMatteo - Drexel University
- Contributors
- Kyle C Scherr (Editor) - Central Michigan UniversityDavid DeMatteo (Editor) - Drexel University
- Publication Details
- The Oxford Handbook of Psychology and Law
- Series
- OXFORD LIBRARY OF PSYCHOLOGY SERIES
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology)
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85185995043
- Other Identifier
- 991020531853604721