EQUAL PROTECTION FROM EXECUTION: EXPANDING ATKINS TO INCLUDE MENTALLY IMPAIRED OFFENDERS.

In this article the author discusses the execution of mentally retarded offenders based on the court case Atkins v. Virginia in the U.S. It highlights the court's decision to illegalize the execution of mentally ill defendants and to give states the right to implement their definition of mental retardation. The author believes that the states' definition in which juvenile-onset is considered is inappropriate since it requires varying punishments for similarly impaired offenders.