NCJ Number
230559
Journal
Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Dated: March - April 2010 Pages: 145-157
Date Published
April 2010
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article presents a guide for mental health professionals to consider when involved in competence-for-execution evaluations.
Abstract
Prisoners sentenced to death must be competent for execution before they can actually be executed (Ford v. Wainwright, 1986). The decision for many mental health professionals whether to conduct competence-for-execution evaluations may be fraught with complex ethical issues. Mental health professionals who do not personally support capital punishment may have a particularly difficult decision to make in this regard but should seriously consider the consequences of their decisions. This article applies Bush, Connell, and Denney's (2006) eight-step ethical decisionmaking model to the ethicality of deciding on or abstaining from conducting competence for execution evaluations. This article does not propose what decisions an individual evaluator should make regarding this work but rather presents a systematic guide for mental health professionals (particularly those who do not support capital punishment) to consider. References (Published Abstract)