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Dakota Taylor
Mrs. Young
English 10
2 March 2018
Mental Retardation Should be Punished Differently
Although people with mental retardation committed the crime, should they be punished
differently? In the movie Of Mice and Men most people are aware of Lennie's disability and he
killed Curley's wife without meaning or even knowing what he did. People with mental
retardation don't really know what they’re doing. These people should be treated differently in
the court system because they have a mindset of an adolescent and they have no real idea of
what's going on around them, but they do have protected right in the criminal justice system but
they do not always help.
People with mental retardation have the mindset of an adolescent therefor they should be
treated differently in court systems. “Professionals in the Human Service and Criminal Justice
system frequently fail to recognize the vulnerabilities of such individuals and categorize them as
harmless children” (NADD). People with mental retardation are categorized as harmless
children by Human Services and Criminal Justice because they have the mindset of a child. This
should be how mental retardation should always be treated in the court systems and any kind of
justice system.”As suspects, individuals with this disability are frequently used by other
criminals to assist in law-breaking activities without understanding their involvement in a crime
or the consequences of their involvement ”(The Arc). Once again, people with a disability do not
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understand what they are doing nor do they understand the consequences from committing a
crime. People with a mental disability also may agree to commit a crime to gain friendship and
not understand what they are doing because to them they were just trying to make a friend.
However, people with mental retardation do have protected rights. “Peo...
