NEW RESOURCE: Forced Medication of Legally Incompetent Prisoners

In “Forced Medication of Legally Incompetent Prisoners: A Primer,” Kathy Swedlow uses cases such as Singleton v. Norris to examine the legal background and heated debate surrounding the issue of involuntary treatment of death row prisoners to make them sane enough for execution. Swedlow notes that many of those who support capital punishment find the holding in Singleton (which allows forcible medication) unsettling. She concludes that “even assuming Singelton’s guilt, the forcible medication and execution of an incompetent defendant … should no longer be permitted.”

(Human Rights, American Bar Association, Spring 2003) See Resources.