Case Digest on Atkins v. Virginia

Mentally retarded people cannot be subject to death penalty. This is the ruling in the case of Atkins v. Virginia. Check out this two-minute case digest!🎧📚

FACTS OF THE CASE:

Atkins was convicted of abduction, armed robbery, and capital murder in Virginia in 1998. He and his co-defendant were found guilty of abducting and robbing Eric Nesbitt before shooting him eight times and killing him. Atkins was sentenced to death.

ISSUE OF THE CASE:

Whether execution of individuals with intellectual disabilities (mental retardation) is constitutional

RULING OF THE CASE:

No, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the execution of individuals with intellectual disabilities is unconstitutional. The Court concluded that there is a national consensus against the execution of mentally retarded offenders and that such executions violate the evolving standards of decency as mentally retarded individuals often have diminished capacities to understand and process information, learn from experience, and engage in logical reasoning. As a result, their culpability is reduced, and imposing the death penalty on them serves no legitimate penological purpose.

IMPACT TO THE LEGAL SYSTEM:

This case established a categorical exclusion, prohibiting the execution of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Hence, it led to increased scrutiny and attention to the process of determining intellectual disabilities in capital cases. All states in the U.S. were required to adapt their capital punishment laws to comply with this constitutional mandate.