Instructions are attached
Instructions:
Responses need to be a minimum of one paragraph of substance in which you add to another student’s posting or clearly articulate (in a respectful manner) why you agree or disagree with the student’s opinion; this effort will result in a grade of “C.” You can improve your grade by responding (with substance) to multiple posts. Make sure your response is not simply a reiteration of your original post.
Must be APA format, in-text citations and references
Peer: Thelmane
5.2 Discussion: Medicating Incompetent Inmates
In the field of mental health and criminal justice, there is heated debate over the morality of administering medications to mentally ill prisoners in order to render them competent for execution. Some think it violates people’s rights and autonomy, while others say justice is essential to deliver justice (Heilbrun et al., 1992).
Orta et al. (2023) found that medicating prisoners against their will violates their right to refuse treatment and puts them at risk of adverse drug reactions. In addition, according to Orta et al. (2023), an inmate’s right to bodily integrity is violated when antipsychotic drugs are forcibly administered. Forcefully medicating someone who cannot make their own treatment decisions raises serious ethical concerns. Furthermore, in certain instances, the efficacy of drugs in regaining competency is debatable. Mental illness, intellectual disability, and trauma are just a few of the many causes that might contribute to a person’s incompetence. According to Danzer et al. (2019), medicating someone might not solve their incompetence problem.
In conclusion, there are serious moral questions regarding the efficacy, autonomy, and physical integrity of medicating incompetent prisoners in preparation for their execution. When making judgments on the treatment of individuals facing execution, it is crucial that lawmakers and professionals in the domains of criminal justice and mental health thoroughly examine these issues.
References
Danzer, G. S., Wheeler, E. M. A., Alexander, A. A., & Wasser, T. D. (2019). Competency restoration for adult defendants in different treatment environments.
Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online.
Links to an external site.
Heilbrun, K., Radelet, M. L., & Dvoskin, J. (1992). The debate on treating individuals incompetent for execution.
American Journal of Psychiatry,
149(5), 596–605.
Links to an external site.
Orta, J., Barton, C., Ilao, P., & Apollonio, D. E. (2023). A review of policies on the involuntary use of psychotropic medications among persons experiencing incarceration in the United States.
Health & Justice,
11, 9.
Links to an external site.
