Alcatraz by Ward David & Kassebaum Gene

Author:Ward, David & Kassebaum, Gene [Ward, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: United States, History, General
ISBN: 9780520265967
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: 2009-04-19T04:00:00+00:00

Samuel Shockley’s mental health continued to be an issue as he awaited execution. A medical review by the acting chief medical officer at San Quentin concluded that while Shockley had a “borderline defective, inadequate, psychoneurotic, psychopathic, inferior personality,” he knew “fairly well the difference between right and wrong, what he did, and what he is to be punished for,” and therefore should “be executed, despite his mental instability.”37

Several months later, however, two psychiatrists and the prison doctor examined Shockley again, concluding: “He, in our opinion, does not know the nature and character of his offense, nor does he appreciate fully the sentence that is imposed on him. We feel that he is mentally unstable, and there is a large question in our minds, whether he is legally sane.”38

The possibility that an insanity diagnosis might allow Shockley to escape the gas chamber troubled federal authorities. U.S. Attorney Frank Hennessy wrote to the attorney general questioning the “right” of San Quentin officials to conduct examinations into the mental health of Shockley or Thompson, who were federal prisoners. If any further psychiatric examinations were undertaken, argued Hennessy, they should be conducted by persons selected by the attorney general.39

In June Dr. George Johnson from the Stanford University Medical School, and Dr. Justin Fuller, federal medical officer, examined Shockley and concluded that he was attempting to simulate insanity. In July three San Quentin psychiatrists concluded that Shockley understood the nature of the proceedings against him, knew that an execution day had been scheduled, and therefore was sane.40

In the months that followed, Shockley’s and Thompson’s legal advisors proposed that their clients receive executive clemency, and the pardon attorney asked James Bennett to comment on their applications. Bennett argued against the assertion that neither man was in on the planning, citing Thompson’s request for a “lay in” on the day of the escape, and noting (inaccurately) that Shockley, having been involved in an earlier escape attempt with Cretzer, was one of the first men released by Cretzer in D block. Bennett also dismissed Thompson’s claim that conditions at Alcatraz drove him to take desperate action, pointing out that he had been on the Rock for less than seven months.

The matter of the death penalty did, however, give James Bennett cause for soulful reflection:

I have long had grave doubts about the wisdom of capital punishment in any case. I do not think I could qualify to sit on a jury where the death penalty might be imposed. If, however, there are cases where extreme penalty is justified, it seems to me here is one. It is the cruel and wanton killing of Guard Miller and the ruthless shooting of a group of officers who were defenseless hostages that is involved here. This was no accidental shooting or killing under emotional stress. It is the sort of crime almost impossible to understand. How could these or any other men, for that matter, commit such atrocious acts and have so little regard for human life? Unless one feels there is

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.