Establishing mental retardation in capital cases: a potential matter of life and death.
Psychological test obstacles to gaining the acceptance of a diagnosis of mental retardation in criminal defendants was described, and the use of the Revised Beta intelligence test with defendants who may be retarded was questioned. A possible modification of the adaptive behavior criterion for criminal defendants was suggested, and some thoughts on the appropriateness of the death penalty for persons with mental retardation were offered.
Baroff
G S
GS
Developmental Disabilities Training Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599-3370.
D002203:Capital Punishment / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005104:Expert Testimony / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D007298:Insanity Defense; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D007360:Intelligence; D014481:United States