Visit the Tennessee Alliance for Severe Mental Illness Exclusion (TASMIE) website for more information on the growing coalition of states active in this policy area. If your state is not listed, please complete the form below.
View the Severe Mental Illness & the Death Penalty Course Corrections Document.
In December 2016, Equitas co-hosted a national convening on Severe Mental Illness & the Death Penalty at Georgetown University. Read more about the event here.
Visit our blog for more on the reasoning behind and practical goals of the Summit.
Selected Presentations from the 2016 event:
December 6, 2016
What Is Severe Mental Illness and How Is it Assessed by Mental Health Professionals?
- Daniel Murrie, Ph.D., Director of Psychology, Professor, Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy, University of Virginia
- Megan Testa, M.D., Forensic and Community Psychiatrist, University Hospitals; Chair of Government Relations, Ohio Psychiatric Physicians Association
Snapshot of the Severe Mental Illness Exemption Reform Efforts in 2017
Keynote Luncheon – Georgetown University Hotel: Taking Action on the National Consensus to End the Execution of Individuals with Severe Mental Illness. Videos feature:
- Hilarie Bass, J.D., President-Elect, American Bar Association
- Deanne Ottaviano, J.D., General Counsel, American Psychological Association
- Ronald S. Honberg, J.D., National Director, Policy and Legal Affairs, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
Litigating Capital Cases of Individuals with Severe Mental Illness
Legal Arguments for the Severe Mental Illness Exemption
- Meredith Martin Rountree, J.D., Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
- Christopher Slobogin, J.D., LL.M., Milton R. Underwood Chair in Law; Director, Criminal Justice Program; Affiliate Professor of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt Law School
Cross-Disability Considerations and Consequences in the Criminal Legal System
- Sam Crane, J.D., Legal Director, Director of Public Policy, Autistic Self Advocacy Network
- Talila A. Lewis, J.D., Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of the Deaf (HEARD); Visiting Professor, Rochester Institute of Technology (syllabus and website)
December 7, 2016
The Role of Mental Health Professionals in Death Penalty Cases
The Severe Mental Illness Reform Effort from the Advocates’ Perspective: Priorities, Challenges and Tips on How to Engage Effectively with the Mental Health Community
- Liza Long, President of the Board, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Boise
- View her TED Talk
- Read her blog
- And her contribution to Huffington Post
- Eric Walton on Surviving with a Mental Illness:
For more on Severe Mental Illness and the Death Penalty:
Review the Catholic News Agency’s report mentioning the Keynote Luncheon & National Summit.