George C. Denkowski: "Dr. Death Penalty" Won't Be Filling Up Death Row Anymore
George C. Denkowski, the forensic psychologist who's been driving capital-murder defense lawyers crazy for years, is no longer allowed to send convicts to Death Row.
Death Row cases take another hit.
Denkowski was reprimanded by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists and agreed never again to perform mental evaluations in death-row cases. He did not admit any wrongdoing or errors.
Denkowski was involved in the cases of 14 convicts currently on Death Row, and critics say his unscientific methods inflated the IQ results of defendants who might otherwise have been ineligible for the death penalty because of mental retardation.
Activists say they will try to get the 14 cases of current Death Row inmates Denkowski was involved with reviewed, something that might require legislative action.
Texas state Senator Rodney Ellis says such action should be taken.
"We must make sure that every case where Mr. Denkowski served as an expert is reviewed by the courts," he said in a release from the Texas Defender Service. "We cannot simply shrug our shoulders and sit by and watch while the state uses legal technicalities to execute these intellectually disabled men, especially on the word of someone who is no longer permitted to make these kinds of determinations."
"Once again another junk science scandal has rocked Texas' death row," said TDS' Kathryn Kase in the same release. "The courts must review the cases of these men who were evaluated using highly questionable methods before any executions take place. Otherwise, we will not only be violating the Constitution, but our most basic moral standards."
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