The connotation of death penalty and cruel and unusual punishment often goes together. The Supreme Court regularly cited the Eighth Amendment for decision of cruel and unusual punishment. The Courts have to determine that the “punishment must not involve the unnecessary and wanton infliction of pain... punishment must not [also] be grossly out of proportion to the severity of the crime (Cripes, pg. 262)”. According to the two criteria, death penalty is clearly cruel and unusual punishment. The amount of physical and emotional pain a person experienced is tremendous prior to being executed. It is the last thing a person feel as life is being taking away from the inmate in an abnormal manner. The cause of death due to execution is unnatural hence it is considered to be
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The second criteria support the death penalty in which the punishment must be proportional to severity of the crime. Hence, the punishment for murder is often the death penalty in regard to individual states. It is not excessive to demand the death penalty of the defendant since he or she has already taken another person’s life. The agony endure by victim’s family must be met with an appropriate punishment to satisfaction for the loss of their love ones. Still, murder is not the only crime to be considered for death penalty. Other heinous crimes such as rapes, physical battery which cause severe and permanent disability, or torture, enslavement in an atrocious or cruel manner for extended period of time should also be considered for the death penalty. The individuals who performs these kind of acts have no “standards of decency” (Cripes, pg. 262) or consideration of human lives should be punish in the same manner. Once the individual is found guilty of the crimes and sentences to death row, officials need to throw away the keys. These individuals should not be treat in the same manner or have the same rights as non-violent inmates. He or she committed a cruel crime thus deserve similar
The second criteria support the death penalty in which the punishment must be proportional to severity of the crime. Hence, the punishment for murder is often the death penalty in regard to individual states. It is not excessive to demand the death penalty of the defendant since he or she has already taken another person’s life. The agony endure by victim’s family must be met with an appropriate punishment to satisfaction for the loss of their love ones. Still, murder is not the only crime to be considered for death penalty. Other heinous crimes such as rapes, physical battery which cause severe and permanent disability, or torture, enslavement in an atrocious or cruel manner for extended period of time should also be considered for the death penalty. The individuals who performs these kind of acts have no “standards of decency” (Cripes, pg. 262) or consideration of human lives should be punish in the same manner. Once the individual is found guilty of the crimes and sentences to death row, officials need to throw away the keys. These individuals should not be treat in the same manner or have the same rights as non-violent inmates. He or she committed a cruel crime thus deserve similar