Why are individuals with intellectual disabilities not allowed to be sentenced to death?(1 point)
Responses
Individuals with intellectual disabilities are only allowed to be sentenced to death for homicide.
Individuals with intellectual disabilities are only allowed to be sentenced to death for homicide.
It is considered cruel and unusual, because by the nature of their diagnosis, these individuals have a lessened ability to understand the severity of their crimes.
It is considered cruel and unusual, because by the nature of their diagnosis, these individuals have a lessened ability to understand the severity of their crimes.
Roper v. Simmons found this sentencing to be unconstitutional.
Roper v. Simmons found this sentencing to be unconstitutional.
They are not over the age of 18, so they cannot understand the severity of their crimes.
They are not over the age of 18, so they cannot understand the severity of their crimes.
Individuals with intellectual disabilities are not allowed to be sentenced to death because it is considered cruel and unusual punishment, due to their lessened ability to understand the severity of their crimes and to process information, communicate, engage in logical reasoning, control impulses, and understand the reactions of others. This aligns with the ruling of Atkins v. Virginia (2002), in which the U.S. Supreme Court held that executing individuals with intellectual disabilities violates the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
The correct answer is:
It is considered cruel and unusual, because by the nature of their diagnosis, these individuals have a lessened ability to understand the severity of their crimes.