Death Penalty | Wex | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute

Congress, as well as any state legislature, may prescribe the death penalty, also known as capital punishment, for capital offenses. The Supreme Court has ... 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OverviewCongress,aswellasanystatelegislature,mayprescribethedeathpenalty,alsoknownascapitalpunishment,forcapitaloffenses.TheSupremeCourthasruledthatthedeathpenaltydoesnotviolatetheEighthAmendment'sbanoncruelandunusualpunishment,buttheEighthAmendmentdoesshapecertainproceduralaspectsregardingwhenajurymayusethedeathpenaltyandhowitmustbecarriedout.BecauseoftheFourteenthAmendment'sDueProcessClause,theEighthAmendmentappliesagainstthestates,aswellasthefederalgovernment.EighthAmendmentanalysisrequiresthatcourtsconsidertheevolvingstandardsofdecencytodetermineifaparticularpunishmentconstitutesacruelorunusualpunishment.Whenconsideringevolvingstandardsofdecency,courtslookforobjectivefactorstoshowachangeincommunitystandardsandalsomakeindependentevaluationsaboutwhetherthestatuteinquestionisreasonable.HistoryoftheDeathPenaltyInitialBan InFurmanv.Georgia,408U.S.238(1972),theCourtinvalidatedexistingdeathpenaltylawsbecausetheyconstitutedcruelandunusualpunishmentinviolationoftheEighthAmendment. TheCourtreasonedthatthelawsresultedinadisproportionateapplicationofthedeathpenalty,specificallydiscriminatingagainstthepoorandminorities. TheCourtalsoreasonedthattheexistinglawsterminatedlifeinexchangeformarginalcontributionstosociety.Reinstatement InGreggv.Georgia,428U.S.153 (1976),theCourtrefusedtoexpandFurman.TheCourtheldthedeathpenaltywasnotperseunconstitutionalasitcouldservethesocialpurposesofretributionanddeterrence. Specifically,theCourtupheldGeorgia’snewcapitalsentencingprocedures,reasoningthattheGeorgiarulesreducedtheproblemofarbitraryapplicationasseeninearlierstatutes.ProportionalityRequirementIn Coker v.Georgia,433U.S.584(1977),the U.S.SupremeCourtheldthatapenaltymustbeproportionaltothecrime;otherwise,thepunishmentviolatesthe EighthAmendment's prohibitionagainstcruelandunusualpunishments.Inperformingitsproportionalityanalysis,theSupremeCourtlookstothefollowingthreefactors:aconsiderationoftheoffense'sgravityandthestringencyofthepenalty;aconsiderationofhowthejurisdictionpunishesitsothercriminals;andaconsiderationofhowotherjurisdictionspunishthesamecrime.Twenty-oneyearslater,inKennedyv.Louisiana,554U.S.407(2008),theSupremeCourtextendeditsrulinginCoker,holdingthatthepenaltyiscategoricallyunavailableforcasesofchildrapeinwhichthevictimlives.Becauseonlysixstatesinthecountrypermittedexecutionasapenaltyforchildrape,theSupremeCourtfoundthatnationalconsensusrenderedthedeathpenaltydisproportionateinthesecases.PrincipleofIndividualizedSentencing Toimposeadeathsentence,thejurymustbeguidedbytheparticularcircumstancesofthecriminal,andthecourtmusthaveconductedanindividualizedsentencingprocess.InRingv.Arizona,536U.S.584 (2002),  theSupremeCourtheldthatitisunconstitutionalfor"a sentencingjudge,sittingwithoutajury,tofindanaggravatingcircumstancenecessaryforimpositionofthedeathpenalty." TheSupremeCourtfurtherrefinedtherequirementof"afindingofaggravatingfactors"inBrownv.Sanders, 546U.S.212(2006).Forcasesinwhichanappellatecourtrulesasentencingfactortobeinvalid, thesentenceimposedbecomesunconstitutionalunlessthejuryfoundsomeotheraggravatingfactorthatencompassesthesamefactsandcircumstancesastheinvalidfactor.Kansasv.Marsh,548U.S.163 (2006) offeredyetanotherclarificationtotheprincipleofindividualizedsentencingjurisprudence.UnderMarsh,statesmayimposethedeathpenaltywhenthe jury findsany aggravatingandmitigatingfactorstobeequally weighted,withoutviolatingtheprincipleofindividualizedsentencing.MethodofExecutionAlegislaturemayprescribethemannerofexecution,butthemannermaynotinflictunnecessaryorwantonpainuponthecriminal. Statecourtsandlowerfederalcourtshaverefusedtostrikedownhangingandelectrocutionasimpermissiblemethodsofexecution.InBazev.Rees,553.U.S35 (2008),theSupremeCourtheldthatthelethalinjectiondoesnotconstituteacruelandunusualpunishment.TheSupremeCourtin Baze also appliedan"objectivelyintolerable"testtodetermineifthemethodofexecutionviolatestheEighthAmendment'sbanoncruelandunusualpunishments.Thelegalityoflethalinjectionwasupheldin Glossipv.Gross,576U.S.__(2015). ClassesofPersonsIneligiblefortheDeathPenaltyInAtkinsv.Virginia,536U.S.304(2002),theSupremeCourtdeterminedthatexecutingmentallyretardedcriminalsviolatesthebanon"cruelandunusualpunishments"becausetheirmentalhandicaplessenstheseverityofthecrimeandthereforerenderstheextraordinarypenaltyofdeathasdisproportionatelysevere.However,inBobbyv.Bies,556U.S.825(2009),theCourtheldthatstatesmayconducthearingstoreconsiderthementalcapacityofdeathrowinmateswhowerelabeledmentallyretardedbeforetheCourtdecidedAtkins,becausebeforeAtkins,stateshadlittleincentivetoaggressivelyinvestigateretardationclaims.InRoperv.Simmons,543U.S.551(2005),theSupremeCourtinvalidatedthedeathpenaltyforalljuvenileoffenders.Themajorityopinionpointedtoteenagers'lackofmaturityandresponsibility,greatervulnerabilitytonegativeinfluences,andincompletecharacterdevelopment.TheCourtconcludedthatjuvenileoffendersassumediminishedculpabilityfortheircrimes.In Hallv.Florida,572U.S.__(2014),theSupremeCourtheldthatabrightline IQthresholdmaynotdecidewhethersomeoneisintellectuallydisabled(formerly"mentallyretarded")forthepurposeofbeingeligibleforthedeathpenalty.  FurtherReadingFormoreonthedeathpenalty,seethisFloridaStateUniversityLawReviewarticle,thisCornellLawReviewarticle,andthisHarvardLawReviewarticle.  menuofsourcesFederalMaterialU.S.ConstitutionandFederalStatutesU.S.Constitution:EighthAmendment-CruelandUnusualPunishmentCRSAnnotatedConstitutionU.S.Code:18U.S.C.FederalJudicialDecisionsU.S.SupremeCourt:RecentSupremeCourtDecisionKennedyv.Louisiana(07-343)(2008)Brownv.Sanders,546U.S.212(2006)Kansasv.Marsh,548U.S.163(2006)Bazev.Rees(07-5439)(2008)Roperv.Simmons,543U.S.551(2005)OlderSupremeCourtDeathPenaltyDecisionsLiibulletinOralArgumentPreviewsStateMaterialStateStatutesStateCriminalCodesStateJudicialDecisionsN.Y.CourtofAppeals:RecentdeathpenaltydecisionsCommentaryfromliibulletin-nyAppellateDecisionsfromOtherStatesOtherReferencesKeyInternetSourcesCornellLawSchoolDeathPenaltyProjectDeathPenaltyInformationCenterSouthernCenterforHumanRightsAntiDeathPenaltyACLUAmnestyInternationalNationalCoalitiontoAbolishtheDeathPenaltyProDeathPenaltyPro-DeathPenaltyJusticeForAllLinksofInterestExecutionofmentallyillJuveniles&theDeathPenaltyRace&ClassBiasWomen&ThedeathpenaltyOn-lineBooks&PapersDeathPenaltyPaperDeathpenaltylinksDeathPenaltyLinksbyTopic1000+deathpenaltylinksOtherTopicsCriminalProcedureSentencing 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