End the Death Penalty for Mentally ill Criminals was written by Bob Taft and

Edward Kernan on March 24, 2017 and published on The Washington Post. From the

title of the essay itself, the authors (who are former governors of Ohio and Indiana)

effectively raise their main argument by prohibiting death penalty for individuals

with severe mental illness (Taft, Kernan). The authors briefly supported this

argument by providing lots of logos (credible studies and surveys) to validate the

claim. The authors claim that persons who suffer from severe mental illnesses are

wrongfully convicted and hence should be exculpated from their acts. In their

conclusion, death penalty should not be imposed to these persons who are

mentally ill.

The opening paragraph of their essay laid out the support given by several states

which implement death penalty in their respective jurisdiction. This came in form of

legislative proposals to be deliberated by each of the states respectively. Six states

have indicated their interests to pass the bill and later on would end up as a law.

The opening paragraph is a powerful set of paragraphs that employ ethos from the

very people who shape the policy and implementation on death penalty. Taft and

Kernan clearly emphasize the sizable support they gain by providing statistical

figures.

The authors then move to the reasoning of their main argument. This is to validate

their main argument by providing insights and perspectives from the experts from

whom the authors directly rely. Again, in this section of the essay, the authors

gather the studies and surveys of National Institute of Mental Health. From these

studies, the authors emphasize that those individuals with mental illness are non-

violent and therefore are of unsounded mind when they committed the offense or
act punishable by death penalty. Taft and Kernan pointed a flaw in the US criminal

justice system the law does not take into account the mental state of the person.

In this manner, further analysis can be taken by focusing on the next few steps that

the authors employ in the essay. They have provided real figures and facts of the

result of the flaw in the criminal justice system. They mentioned about two recent

executions to employ ethos to gain emotional support from the readers.

Taft and Kernan also employ the research conducted by several highly respected

educators that individuals with mental illness are more vulnerable to being

wrongfully accused and convicted (Taft and Kernan). This study sends a strong

message that false confessions and false guilty pleas among these individuals with

mental illness are common. They are so common to make death row inmate higher

in the next couple of years. Hence in this section of the essay, the authors employ

ethos from the readers to that there is a real problem in the United States criminal

justice system and it needs to be corrected and one must do something about it.

By way of supporting and validating this argument, Taft and Kernan presented

another study- this time aimed at the effect of mental illness to conviction, both

authors move to the question of the judgment being carried out by death penalty

jurors. The study that the authors laid among the death penalty jurors seemed to be

shocking to the senses. Most of these jurors often misunderstood mental illness

which is often viewed as an aggravating factor rather than as a mitigating factor

(Taft and Kernan). This resulted to a much higher convictions among these

individuals. That means more death penalties.

Taft and Kernan gave an impression that not only persons with mental illness must

exclude from death penalty but also veterans with severe PTSD (Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder). They both mentioned in the midsection of the essay that veterans

with PTSD must be equally applied to the veterans. They appeal through

employment of ethos through the use of this phrase These veterans have

experienced trauma. They presented a study that shows 10% of the United States

death-row inmates are veterans with some of the inmates suffered from PTSD.

Clearly at most points at the end part of the essay, the authors both agree that

legislation being under consideration vary from state to state (Taft and Kernan) and

there is a further qualification added before it becomes a law. This is the main

reason and perhaps the only reason the authors made this essay public so that

people are made aware that there are studies and surveys conducted already that

validated and corrected. Bringing this to the attention of the public, the authors

believe would attract national interest and empathy to these individuals who suffer

from severe mental illness.

To conclude, the authors are able to deliver their messages clearly to the readers

and convinced the readers to act swiftly by supporting the movements of the

legislation being proposed. This is in part the reason that the states which started it

may take the lead in this reform and perhaps others would eventually follow. In

their own phrase - This is a fair, efficient and bipartisan reform that would put an

end to a practice that is not consistent with current knowledge about mental illness

and fundamental principles of human decency.

Works Cited

End the Death Penalty for Mentally ill Criminals

Bob Taft and Edward Kernan, March 24, 2017