NMHA to Mississippi Governor: Commute Ronald Foster's Death Sentence

National Mental Health Association
Thursday, 2 January 2003

The National Mental Health Association asked Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove to commute the death sentence of Ronald Chris Foster to life in prison in a December 12 letter. NMHA opposes the execution of people who committed their crimes before the age of 18, and believes that age, maturity, mental status and childhood history of abuse should always be considered in deciding an individual's punishment.

In the case of Foster, there was a significant amount of mitigating evidence that should have been raised by counsel in the sentencing phase of the trial, including his age, his two traumatic head injuries, his abusive home life and his lack of criminal history. Foster faces execution on January 8, 2003.

"Although our hearts go out to the victims of their crimes, young people under age 18 should not be held to the same standard of culpability and accountability for their actions as adults are," said Michael Faenza, president and CEO of the National Mental Health Association. "Executing youthful offenders constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, especially when the defense neglects to raise the individual's history of trauma and abuse at the trial, as in Foster's case."

Twenty-eight states have banned the execution of offenders under the age of 18, and 15 of the 22 states that do allow the punishment, including Mississippi, have chosen not to use it since the reinstatement of the death penalty. In 2002, the United States was the only country in the world to execute offenders who were under the age of 18 at the time of their crime.

The National Mental Health Association is the country's oldest and largest nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and mental illness. With more than 340 affiliates nationwide, NMHA works to improve the mental health of all Americans through advocacy, education, research and service. Information about NMHA's efforts on the death penalty and juvenile offenders are available through its online Justice for Death Row Inmates Resource Center.

For more information, or to contact National Mental Health Association, see their website at: www.nmha.org