Online Course: Intellectual Disability in Capital Cases
It is our mission to ensure that no one with intellectual disability is ever executed. We are dedicated to equipping all members of the capital defense team with the tools needed to discover, investigate, and effectively litigate intellectual disability.
This month-long online training introduces participants to the nuances of investigating and litigating intellectual disability claims and features strategies for overcoming common barriers to identifying and effectively presenting evidence of ID.
Intellectual disability can be difficult to detect. Clients go to great lengths to their disability due to shame and embarrassment, even when it can save their life. Unlike common stereotypes, those with intellectual disability cannot be identified based on their appearance or superficial interactions. Clients may appear “normal” in the context of school, work, family or when we first encounter them as the defendant in a capital prosecution. Education is crucial to overcome these stereotypes.
Investigations face multiple barriers. School records are missing, IQ scores are unavailable or – in some cases – there are multiple IQ scores with widely variable scores. We’ll discuss how to overcome these challenges.
This training will offer the most up-to-date legal and scientific information concerning ID and provide hands-on opportunities to practice skills needed to screen effectively for ID. Students will learn how to work with mental-health experts and how to develop and provide the detailed life-history information needed for an effective evaluation. Instructors will include psychologists, lawyers, and mitigation specialists who are experts on the subject.
