NCJ Number
146397
Editor(s)
R W Conley,
R Luckasson,
G N Bouthilet
Date Published
1992
Length
299 pages
Annotation
This book contains 13 articles on criminal justice as it applies to defendants and victims with mental retardation.
Abstract
The various authors discuss, among other things, criminal responsibility, legal representation, competency to stand trial, sentencing, correctional services, and victimization. All these issues are affected if mental retardation is a factor; some changes in public policy are necessary in order to account for this fact. A relatively small but significant number of people with mental retardation have committed crimes; roughly 14,000 (2 percent of all inmates) are in State and Federal prisons, and another 12,500 are in residential facilities. Most of those in State and Federal prisons are male and mildly afflicted. Compared to inmates without mental retardation, they are more likely to be nonwhite and less likely to have committed a serious crime. People with mental retardation, like all persons, should be taught about laws, the reasons for them, the responsibility to abide by them, and the consequences of breaking them. Tables, references, 2 appendixes, index