Disability and Death Row: A Supreme Court Ruling Raises Questions About Justice The US Supreme Court's decision to dismiss Alabama's bid to execute Joseph Clifton Smith, an intellectually disabled man, has reignited debate about the intersection of justice, disability, and capital punishment.
While the ruling appears to be a technical victory for advocates of people with intellectual disabilities, it also raises fundamental questions about how to determine intellectual disability and whether the justice system is equipped to handle these complex cases.
Joseph Clifton Smith was convicted in 1997 of murder at age 18. Despite being classified as "educable mentally retarded" in seventh grade, his intellectual disability was initially overlooked by the justice system.