Question 1

For all states, the onset age of being diagnosed as mentally retarded is age 18.

Accepted Answer

The onset age for being diagnosed with intellectual disability (formerly referred to as mental retardation) is before the age of 18, according to the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Question 2

In the United States, the age of onset is before the age of 18. There must be evidence of disability during that developmental period.

Accepted Answer

In the United States, for many developmental and mental health disorders, diagnostic criteria often include the onset of symptoms before the age of 18, and there must be evidence of the disorder during the developmental period to establish a diagnosis. This is particularly true for developmental disorders where early onset is a key diagnostic criterion.

Question 3

Since there are different types of exams that may be used to determine an individual's IQ, a person may be spared or could face execution because of a slight point differential.

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court has ruled that individuals with an IQ below 70 cannot be executed, leading to situations where a slight difference in IQ scores, potentially due to the type of exam used, could determine whether an individual is eligible for execution.

Question 4

Mental illness is typically more treatable than mental retardation, which could essentially make the mentally ill more responsible.

Accepted Answer

Mental illness often responds to treatment such as medication, therapy, or a combination of both, allowing individuals to manage symptoms and improve functioning. Mental retardation (now more commonly referred to as intellectual disability) is characterized by limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, with onset during the developmental period, making it less amenable to treatment in terms of increasing intellectual capabilities. Therefore, individuals with mental illnesses can often be more responsible for their actions if they are receiving and responding to appropriate treatment.

Question 5

Courts and legislatures agree that mental retardation is a mitigating circumstance.

Accepted Answer

Courts and legislatures generally recognize mental retardation (now more commonly referred to as intellectual disability) as a mitigating circumstance in legal proceedings, particularly in capital cases, because it affects the individual's ability to understand and process information, make decisions, and control impulses, which can impact their culpability.

Question 6

A person can be mentally ill but not legally insane.

Accepted Answer

Mental illness and legal insanity are distinct concepts; a person can suffer from a mental illness without meeting the legal criteria for insanity, which typically involves the inability to understand the nature or wrongfulness of one's actions at the time of a crime.

Question 7

The Court in Ford v. Wainwright said an insane person has the mental capacity for the type of preparation that is necessary to secure peace for him or herself if he or she is to receive the death penalty sentence.

Accepted Answer

In Ford v. Wainwright, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Eighth Amendment prohibits the state from executing a person who is insane, recognizing that such an individual cannot rationally understand the reason for the execution, thus failing to achieve any retributive purpose.

Question 8

An inmate can be given medication to restore himself or herself for competency for his or her execution.

Accepted Answer

In some jurisdictions, an inmate can be forcibly medicated to restore competency for execution if certain legal and ethical criteria are met, focusing on the principle that a person must be competent to understand the reason for and the reality of their execution.

Question 9

Inmates must have a certain level of rational understanding of their circumstances in order for punishment for the death penalty to serve its penological goals.

Accepted Answer

The U.S. Supreme Court has held that a certain level of rational understanding is necessary for an inmate to be executed, as the punishment must serve its goals of retribution and deterrence, and executing someone who cannot comprehend their punishment does not meet these objectives.

Question 10

A defendant who is diagnosed as mentally retarded may never be executed, regardless of the severity or nature of the crimes.

Accepted Answer

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Atkins v. Virginia (2002) that executing individuals with intellectual disability (formerly referred to as mental retardation) is a violation of the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Quiz 4: The Mentally Impaired and the Death Penalty