8th amendment

"If we execute murderers and there is in fact no deterrent effect, we have killed a bunch of murderers. If we fail to execute murderers, and doing so would in fact have deterred other murders, we have allowed the killing of a bunch of innocent victims. I would much rather risk the former. This, to me, is not a tough call."
John McAdams - Marquette University/Department of Political Science, on deterrence

The eighth amendment in constitution provides protection against excessive bail, excessive fines or cruel and unusual punishments. The eighth amendment is tricky when discussing capital punishment that is still practiced in the United States of America. The problem lies in the interpretation of cruel and unusual punishment. Some may argue that taking the life of another human being is cruel and unusual punishment and simply not something that man should be able to do to another man. There are religious and moral implications to this issue every time it is brought up. I consider myself a conservative, open minded Christian that is pro life but also pro capital punishment. That took several years for me to reach the conclusion that I did indeed support the death penalty. Regarding the eighth amendment and its impact on sentencing there will never be a consensus either way in my opinion. This is an issue that will remain divided until it is either outlawed or mankind goes extinct. The criteria for capital punishment are dependent on the severity of the crime and some argue that race or economic status plays a role I disagree with this. I think if executions were carried out more swiftly they would have more of a deterrent effect on society. The bottom line is that if an individual commits a crime there will be consequences, sometime that means the death penalty.