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An Empirical Assessment Of Georgia's Beyond A Reasonable Doubt, Lauren Sudeall
An Empirical Assessment Of Georgia's Beyond A Reasonable Doubt, Lauren Sudeall
Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications
In Atkins v. Virginia, the Supreme Court held that execution of people with intellectual disabilities violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. In doing so, the Court explicitly left to the states the question of which procedures would be used to identify such defendants as exempt from the death penalty. More than a decade before Atkins, Georgia was the first state to bar execution of people with intellectual disability. Yet, of the states that continue to impose the death penalty as a punishment for capital murder, Georgia is the only state that requires capital defendants to prove …
A More Intelligent And Just "Atkins:" Adjusting For The Flynn Effect In Capital Determinations Of Mental Retardation Or Intellectual Disability, Geraldine W. Young
A More Intelligent And Just "Atkins:" Adjusting For The Flynn Effect In Capital Determinations Of Mental Retardation Or Intellectual Disability, Geraldine W. Young
Vanderbilt Law Review
In Atkins v. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court declared a ban on all executions of mentally retarded persons. This declaration, however, rings hollow for those mentally retarded defendants and inmates who continue to face death sentences as a result of the inconsistent enforcement of Atkins across jurisdictions. One issue in particular-whether to adjust intelligence-test scores for the phenomenon known as the Flynn Effect-has caused inconsistency among courts and has sparked a contentious battle among experts. It blurs the already-precarious line between life and death. And yet, the Flynn Effect captivates capital defendants and inmates with its promise of adjusting intelligence-test …