Organized psychiatry and the death penalty: an introduction to the special section.

The American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL) has been formally debating taking an official position on the death penalty since at least 1998. It is clear that there are divergent views on the appropriateness of capital punishment, the involvement of psychiatrists in various stages of death penalty proceedings, the propriety of AAPL’s taking a stand on this (or any) sociopolitical issue, and even the most effective and democratic methodology for assessing the views of the membership on such matters. Twice since 1998, the organization has used a referendum to solicit opinion on this subject. Debate in AAPL’s Council following the first referendum resulted in AAPL’s taking a position calling for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.