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Death Penalty and People with Mental Illness |
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Sample Press ReleaseTips for Distribution
NEWS(Organization’s Logo) (Name) Faces Unjust ExecutionIn (State), Execution of a Person with Mental Illness Set for (Date)NAME OF TOWN, State (DATE) As our nation’s jails and prisons become the psychiatric warehouses of the new millennium, (State) (date) is preparing to execute another convict with a troubled psychiatric history. (Name of Organization) called upon (state) government leaders “to suspend using the death penalty until more just, accurate and systematic ways of determining and considering a defendant’s mental status are developed.” “Our current system of justice inadequately addresses the complexity of cases involving criminal defendants with mental illness,” said (organization’s spokesperson). “(Name of organization) believes that mental illness should always be taken into account during all phases of a death penalty case.” (Name of Organization) is fighting to ensure that people with mental illnesses are treated fairly and humanely by our criminal justice system. Failure to recognize and treat mental illness has led to increased incarcerations. Approximately 10 percent of all prisoners and detainees have a serious mental illness. (Call to Action: Paragraph outlining what actions are needed and how to help.) Note to Reporters: To find out more about (Name’s) case or (name of organizations) criminal justice programs and initiatives, call XXX-XXX-XXXX or visit (organization’s Web site). Interviews are available by contacting (staff person) at (phone number) or (e-mail). (SHORT PARAGRAPH ON ORGANIZATION) ### NEWS(Organization’s Logo) (Name), Who Committed Crime as Juvenile, Faces Unjust Execution (Your Organization) Urges (State) Governor to Commute SentenceNAME OF TOWN, State (DATE) On (day,date), the state of (state) is scheduled to execute (name), who was (number) years old at the time of his offense. In the last decade, the United States has executed more juvenile offenders than all the world’s nations combined. (Name) was sentenced to death for (specific details of case.) (More info on case.) “(Name of your organization) does not deny the serious and violent nature of the offense for which (name) was convicted, but young people cannot be held to the same standard of culpability and accountability for their actions as adults,” said (name and title of organization’s spokesperson.) “The juvenile justice system was established because youth do not always see the consequences of their actions and because youth can and should be rehabilitated. I ask Gov. (name) to commute this death sentence.” (Paragraph on why trial was unjust, history of abuse, history of mental illness or mental retardation, etc.) (Sentence on status of death penalty legislation/policy in your state.) Of the 38 states that permit the death penalty, 23 permit the execution of people who were under age 18 at the time of their crimes, and seven have carried out actual executions of juvenile offenders since the death penalty was reinstated in 1973. Since 1973, 18 people—including four in 2001—have been put to death for crimes they committed as juveniles. Many of the 18 individuals had horrific histories of child abuse, severe mental illness and trauma. (Name of Organization) believes that the age, maturity, mental status and any history of abuse in a child’s background should always be considered when determining punishment.
Note to Reporters: Statistics and information on the death penalty and juvenile offenders, as well as interviews with experts on related justice issues, are available through (contact name) at (phone.) (SHORT PARAGRAPH ON ORGANIZATION) ### For more information on how to use the resources provided, contact: National Mental Health Association In providing these materials we are enabling our affiliates
to respond in a timely way to death row cases through letter-writing
campaigns and media outreach. By providing this Justice for Death
Row Inmates Resource Kit, NMHA seeks to offer its affiliates and
other advocates with important tools to empower and inform their advocacy
efforts specific to death penalty cases.
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Resources Juveniles Adults with Mental Illness |
