Limits on Execution Mount Holyoke criminologist and sociology professor Richard Moran was featured on the National Public Radio afternoon discussion program Talk of the Nation April 2. He joined NPR Supreme Court correspondent Nina Totenberg and University of New Mexico law professor Jim Ellis to discuss a forthcoming Supreme Court case on execution of the mentally retarded. According to Moran, whose views on crime and punishment are often sought by the media, while it is appropriate in most cases to try a retarded individual for crimes, the death penalty is an inappropriate sentence. Those suffering mental retardation cannot fully appreciate the consequences of their actions and often suffer from a lack of impulse control, both of which mitigate the severity of their sentences. Unless complete and full responsibility can be assigned, the ultimate penalty should not be imposed, Moran said.