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When is a Person too Insane to Execute?
When is a Person too Insane to Execute?
by Matt Clarke
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing arguments to determine whether a Texas death row prisoner is too mentally ill to execute for murdering his in-laws as their daughter and granddaughter looked on.
The …
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More from this issue:
- Twenty-Five Years of Prison Legal News, by Paul Wright
- HRDC Litigation Project Update – 25th Anniversary Edition, by Lance Weber
- News in Brief
- Ohio Prisoner Represents Himself, Beats Attempted Murder Charges
- Dehydration Death of North Carolina Prisoner Prompts Investigations, Firings, Resignations, by Christopher Zoukis
- When is a Person too Insane to Execute?, by Matthew Clarke
- Disabled Minnesota Prisoner Settles Discrimination Lawsuit for $10,000, Other Relief, by Robert Warlick
- Convictions Affirmed for Two Former Rhode Island Guards Who Assaulted Prisoners
- Maryland County Jail Guards Receive Rights Mirroring Those of State Prison Guards
- $500,000 Settlement in Georgia Prisoner’s Death while on Work Crew
- Easing Residency Restrictions Helps Curb Homelessness Among Registered Sex Offenders, by Matthew Clarke
- Former Prisoner Receives $50,000 Settlement for Beating by Ohio Jail Guard, by Derek Gilna
- First Circuit Vacates Massachusetts Prisoner’s $325,956.36 Damages, Attorney Fee Award, by Matthew Clarke
- Due Process Requires Notice Prior to Court-Ordered Deduction from Prisoners’ Accounts, by David Reutter
- California Pays $585,000 to Settle Suit by Prisoner Who Lost Eye Due to Poor Medical Care, by Michael Brodheim
- Iowa DOC May Not Switch Administrative Law Judges in Mid-Disciplinary Process, by Matthew Clarke
- The Wal-Mart Model: Not Just for Retail, Now It’s for Private Prisons Too!, by Carl Takei
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Dallas County Jail Excessive Force Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- Prisoner Files Lawsuit after Being Pepper Sprayed in Restraint Chair, by Derek Gilna
- $50,000 Settlement for Prisoner’s Suicide at Iowa County Jail, by Gary Hunter
- Maine Sheriff, Mired in Controversy, Defeated in Re-election Bid
- Georgia Jail Pays $937,500 in Wrongful Death Settlement
- Former Prisoner Left Blind by Assault Obtains Reversal of FTCA Claim, by David Reutter
- Seventh Circuit Orders New Trial due to Shackling of Prisoner Plaintiff, by Lonnie Burton
- New Jersey, Ohio DOCs Significantly Reduce Phone Rates
- $7,500 Award for Ohio Prisoner in Slip and Fall Accident, by David Reutter
- Exonerated Colorado Prisoner Receives $1.2 Million under New Compensation Law, by Joe Watson
- Accuracy of Widely-Used Polygraph Machine Under Fire, by Derek Gilna
- The Persistence of Mass Incarceration, by James Kilgore
- Lifetime GPS Monitoring of Sex Offenders Upheld in South Carolina, by Lonnie Burton
- Oregon Mental Patient’s Death Nets $1.4 Million, by Mark Wilson
- Oregon Parole Board Orders Must Explain Decisions, but Orders Defined to Include Administrative Review Responses, by Mark Wilson
- Human Rights Groups, Environmentalists Oppose New Federal Prison on Former Coal Mine in Kentucky, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- Ninth Circuit Upholds $106,000 in Damages Plus Attorney Fees for Withheld Evidence, by Mark Wilson
- ICE Settles New York Immigration Raid Lawsuit for $1 Million, by Matthew Clarke
- California Probation Cannot Exceed Maximum for Unpaid Restitution, by Mark Wilson
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026
- Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026
- Federal Court Places Medical Care in Arizona Prisons Under Receivership, May 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Liability but Reverses Damages in Lawsuit Over Illinois Warden and Investigator Using Prisoner as Bait to Catch Staff Member Raping Her, May 1, 2026
- Texas Moves to Restrict Cashless Bond and Reverse Federal Court-Ordered Misdemeanor Bail Reform, May 1, 2026
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, April 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026
- Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, April 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Spike in Massachusetts Prisoner Suicides Blamed on Isolation, K-2 and Spotty Mental Healthcare, May 1, 2026. DOJ CRIPA Actions, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Confinement in Segregated Housing, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Idaho Moves Closer to Firing Squad Executions, May 1, 2026. Death Penalty, State Legislation, Method of Execution, Lethal Injection Method of Execution.
- $9.8 Million in Settlements Reached with South Carolina County and Wellpath in Gruesome Jail Death, May 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Sanitation, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- $2.135 Million Partial Settlement Reached in Schizophrenic Detainee’s Death from “Gross Medical Neglect” at South Carolina Jail, May 1, 2026. Prison Health Services, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026. Drug Overdose, Overcrowding, Sanitation, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- Taser Use Doubled After Grand Jury Report on Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Death, May 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Stun Guns/Tasers, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Staff Training.
- Federal Court Places Medical Care in Arizona Prisons Under Receivership, May 1, 2026. Naphcare, Systemic Medical Neglect, Injunctions, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- $1.25 Million Paid for Special Needs Teen’s Fatal Beating in Houston Jail, May 1, 2026. Prisoner-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Monitor Says Massachusetts Prisons Will Not Meet Settlement Deadline for Mental Health Reforms, May 1, 2026. Private Prisons, DOC/BOP misconduct, Consent Decrees, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- Trump Approves Firing Squads for Federal Executions, May 1, 2026. Death Penalty, Domestic Violence, Cruel and Unusual Punishment, Method of Execution, Hate Crimes.

