An eye for an eye; this is a type of retributive justice which considers punishment to be the best response to crime. This is an extreme example of how punishments use to be determined; it has helped set the stage for how retribution is established today. We use the principle “Let the punishment fit the crime”; facts and evidence are presented to aid a jury and judge in this decision making process. This is widely accepted concept, but the question that we have to stop and think about is, when does punishment go too far? In the case of Charles Lavern Singleton, an Arkansas death row inmate, he medicated with antipsychotics prior to his execution. The decision to medicate Singleton was for the sole purpose of making him “sane”, which is required
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There were several witnesses that identified Singleton as the murderer; York was also able to identify Singleton as the killer before she passed. 19-years-old Singleton sentencing was, death for a capital felony-murder and life imprisonment for aggravated robbery; Arkansas’s Supreme Court affirmed conviction and sentence on October 30, 1979 (Charles Laverne Singleton #887, n.d.). In 1997, a prison psychiatrist diagnosed Singleton with paranoid schizophrenia; in this same year a medication review panel ordered Singleton to take antipsychotics because they believed that he was a threat to himself and others. Singleton was on death row for 24 years, during this time it was reported that he was seeing demons, that he believed that people were conspiring against him, he also believe that York was still alive and there were due to get married. These delusions continued throughout his entire imprisonment; Singleton told his attorney that he welcomed the execution because he was tired of living with mental illness (CNN). This only makes me further question the legal system on the morals and ethics behind punishment of the mentally ill, those who are insane beyond reasonable …show more content…
In 1986, the United States Supreme Court determined that the Eighth Amendment barred the execution of the insane; it prohibits cruel and unusual punishment (Liptak, 2003). It was argued that it a person should be spared of execution if they are delusional enough to not understand their own crime and why they are being sentenced to death. However, in 1990 the Supreme Court decided in favor forcing medication if it believed that a prisoner is at risk of harming themself or others. Due to this ruling Singleton was forced to take antipsychotics because it was determined to be at risk for harming himself because of his schizophrenia and illusions. I think that it is critical to protect prisoners from harm, regardless of what they have done, at the end of the day they are still a human being. I do agree that it cruel and unusual punishment to sentence a clinically insane person to death, but there is a fine line between medicating a person for the sake of protecting them against harm and medicating them for the purpose of lucid
There were several witnesses that identified Singleton as the murderer; York was also able to identify Singleton as the killer before she passed. 19-years-old Singleton sentencing was, death for a capital felony-murder and life imprisonment for aggravated robbery; Arkansas’s Supreme Court affirmed conviction and sentence on October 30, 1979 (Charles Laverne Singleton #887, n.d.). In 1997, a prison psychiatrist diagnosed Singleton with paranoid schizophrenia; in this same year a medication review panel ordered Singleton to take antipsychotics because they believed that he was a threat to himself and others. Singleton was on death row for 24 years, during this time it was reported that he was seeing demons, that he believed that people were conspiring against him, he also believe that York was still alive and there were due to get married. These delusions continued throughout his entire imprisonment; Singleton told his attorney that he welcomed the execution because he was tired of living with mental illness (CNN). This only makes me further question the legal system on the morals and ethics behind punishment of the mentally ill, those who are insane beyond reasonable …show more content…
In 1986, the United States Supreme Court determined that the Eighth Amendment barred the execution of the insane; it prohibits cruel and unusual punishment (Liptak, 2003). It was argued that it a person should be spared of execution if they are delusional enough to not understand their own crime and why they are being sentenced to death. However, in 1990 the Supreme Court decided in favor forcing medication if it believed that a prisoner is at risk of harming themself or others. Due to this ruling Singleton was forced to take antipsychotics because it was determined to be at risk for harming himself because of his schizophrenia and illusions. I think that it is critical to protect prisoners from harm, regardless of what they have done, at the end of the day they are still a human being. I do agree that it cruel and unusual punishment to sentence a clinically insane person to death, but there is a fine line between medicating a person for the sake of protecting them against harm and medicating them for the purpose of lucid