Cruel and Unusual Punishment

In one of the lengthiest noisiest and hottest legal debates in U.S. history Cruel and Unusual Punishment stands out as a levelheaded even-handed and thorough analysis of the issue.The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution created one of the nation''s most valued freedoms but at the same time one of its most persistent controversies. On 184 separate occasions the Supreme Court attempted to decide what constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.Constitutional scholars Joseph A. Melusky and Judge Keith A. Pesto help readers make sense of the controversy. The authors begin by sketching the context of the debate in a general overview that addresses issues such as excessive bails and fines and noncapital offenses. But their primary focus is capital punishment. In a detailed chronologically ordered discussion they trace the evolving opinion of the nation''s highest court from the late 19th century to the present analyzing issues arguments holdings and outcomes.