Defending those facing the death penalty brings Terry Lenamon into the heart of the issue of mental illness in this country and how that does (as opposed to should) impact the imposing of capital punishment on those convicted of serious crimes.

Mental Illness is an Issue in All Death Penalty Cases

We discuss aspects of

The American Bar Association Death Penalty Due Process Review Project has published its report, "Severe Mental Illness and the Death Penalty."

You can read it online here. 

ABA Report To Be Tool For Change

From its Executive Summary (emphasis added):

Despite broader efforts to reform the criminal justice system’s approach to mental illness, individuals

 Last night, the jury came back with a decision of life imprisonment for Joshua Fulgham — nixing the death penalty request by the prosecution.

Under Florida law, the judge will still have the final decision here.

What will the Judge do?  We’ll know soon.

Meanwhile, congrats to Terry Lenamon for a great job of defending