New Law Bans Executing the Mentally Retarded
Gov. Mike Easley signed legislation that bans executions of the mentally retarded.
Easley, a former prosecutor and state attorney general, agreed to sign the legislation because support from the state district attorney’s association and state Atty. Gen. Roy Cooper were “compelling factors.”
Seventeen other states and the federal government already have some kind of ban on executions of the mentally retarded, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
The new law would define as mentally retarded anyone whose IQ is 70 or lower before age 18.
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