Urge legislators to end the death penalty for severely mentally ill people
People with severe mental illness who are accused of capital crimes often have difficulty understanding the charges they face, are more vulnerable to police pressure and more likely to give false confessions, and often fire their lawyers and attempt to represent themselves, or waive appeals. For those reasons and more, Tennesseans are joining mental health advocates in recognizing that people with severe mental illness should be held responsible for their crimes, but not sentenced to death. A bill will begin moving through the #TNLeg tomorrow that would prohibit the #deathpenalty as a punishment for defendants suffering from severe mental illness at the time of the offense if certain conditions are met. Your challenge for Day 46 of #100DaysTN is to urge legislators to support this bill and help create a criminal justice system that comes closer to ensuring that the punishment fits the crime and the defendant.
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