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The 8th Amendment, "cruel and unusual" clause.

The "cruel and unusual" clause in the eighth amendment states that "cruel and unusual punishment" such as torture or lingering death can not be inflicted on anyone as a form of execution. It is however permissible under the 8th Amendment to execute a convict by means of hanging, shooting, electrocution, and lethal gas.

There is still confusion about what is actually constitutes "cruel and unusual punishment." There have been several court cases of interest that have challenged and redefined this concept. In Louisiana ex. Rel. Francis v. Resweber, a convicted murdered was subject to a botched execution, and subsequently argued that a second attempt at execution would be a violation of the Eighth Amendment constituting cruel and unusual punishment. While the Supreme Court rejected this argument, stating that the eighth amendment applies to "cruelty inherent in the method of punishment." I found it interesting that in the Case......

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Approximate Word Count: 430
Approximate Pages: 2 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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