Retarded Should Get Death Penalty

The California Supreme Court is set to investigate and determine the proper criteria for mental retardation, as a way of setting guidelines for who can and can't be executed in the state. In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the execution of the retarded violates the constitutional ban on Cruel and Unusual Punishment, so a guideline for California will be determined soon. Most states have set the level at an IQ of 70, and if California does the same, at least a dozen inmates could have their sentences changed to life without parole. But no matter what number is set, the Attorney General's office will continue to demand the death penalty for crimes involving the mentally retarded, in clear defiance of the Supreme Court. Here is what Senior Assistant Attorney General Dane Gillette had to say about those who are possibly retarded,

Even those with IQs below 70 should not be considered retarded, said Gillette, the state's death penalty coordinator, if "the actual commission of the crime demonstrates that they have the ability to act independently.''

In essence, if the crime is really bad, no matter how retarded you are, you deserve to die. Or rather, there should be no parameters and we should just keep doing what we are already doing: convicting those who are mentally retarded and sentencing them to die. Brilliant.

Full Article at SFGate.