CCATDP’s past Charles Koch Institute Communications Intern, Katherine Dwyer, recently wrote an op-ed laying out the myriad of reasons why the severely mentally ill shouldn’t be executed and why Idaho should pass legislation protecting them from executions.
Dwyer wrote,
To date, Idaho doesn’t have such a law on the books, but we should. Roughly one in three inmates in Idaho prisons are in need of mental health care. With only four mental health facilities statewide, those who suffer from mental illness are limited in their access to treatment, and worse yet, our state allows these people to be sentenced to die, despite their debilitating mental disorders, including schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and delusional disorder. These mental illnesses inhibit an individual’s ability to exercise rational judgment, or recognize the nature, consequences or wrongfulness of their behavior.
Many who suffer from mental illness in Idaho only access care once they’re in a crisis because there is a severe lack of psychologists and treatment facilities for the mentally ill. Consequently, many of these individuals only receive the care they need once they find themselves in the ER, or worse yet, in jail.
Those suffering from severe mental illness need mental health care, not a death sentence. In order to protect our communities, to provide effective solutions to mental health issues, and to efficiently spend taxpayers’ money, Idaho should exempt the mentally ill from the death penalty. By establishing such an exemption, Idaho can more efficiently use its precious resources on policies that offer real solutions to mental health issues that are plaguing our state.