John Errol Ferguson's Arguments Against The Death Penalty

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Innocent lives are being taken away every year due to a mentally ill offender. Mental illness is a severe condition that interrupts the way a person think, feel, and mood. Most of the time criminals that are diagnosed with this disorder commit crimes knowingly. In addition to them knowing right from wrong. Therefore, mentally ill law offenders should be held accountable for their actions through treatment and punishment, but not execution. “In some cases, a murderer who is in prison for life without parole can kill again with the hope of being found insane or not criminally responsible” (Crime and Criminals, 3). Culprits get the idea at times to act like they are crazy to get away with the crime that they have committed. Treatment is highly recommended for perpetrators that have a bipolar disorder. Thus, some mentally ill individuals who do not receive appropriate treatment may eventually commit crimes that lead to involuntary hospitalization by court …show more content…
“John Errol Ferguson was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and killed eight people, then later given the death penalty” (New York Times, 1). Offenders who suffer from that illness shouldn’t be given the death penalty because it isn’t fair. According to the New York Times John Ferguson was clearly ineligible for execution under the constitution. It is extremely biased for a criminal who is sick to have his life taken away. Execution should not be a factor when it comes to mentally ill because it is tremendously severe for a person who does not know what they have done. According to Yuval Melamed, “the public is concerned with safety and often finds it difficult to accept the possibility that a mentally ill individual who commits a crime can be hospitalized and eventually discharged, after a short period of time.” The individual most of the time has no clue they committed a

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