In its 1986 decision in Ford v. Wainwright, the U.S. Supreme Court found that death row prisoners had a constitutional right not to be executed if they were incompetent (477 U.S. 399 [1986]). Competence for execution-an odd concept, but one whose roots go back to biblical times-usually requires that a prisoner understand the nature of the punishment about to be imposed and why it is being imposed.
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机译：美国最高法院在1986年福特（Ford）案与温赖特（Wainwright）案中的裁决中裁定，死刑囚犯享有宪法权利，如果他们不称职则不得被处决（477 U.S. 399 [1986]）。处决的能力-一个奇怪的概念，但其根源可以追溯到圣经时代-通常要求囚犯了解即将实施的惩罚的性质以及实施这种惩罚的原因。
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