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I "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted," thus reads the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The term "cruel and unusual" first appeared in the English Bill of Rights of 1689. The American draftsman who adopted the English phrasing for the Eighth Amendment were primarily concerned with proscribing tortures and other barbarous methods of punishment. For example, the medieval punishment of cutting off …

…slumber. Still, even though Bob did not actually, physically kill Steve (as is the case with the victims, juries, prosecutors, and judges of crimes in capital punishment cases) not many people would be inclined to say that Bob's actions were above reproach. By allowing capital punishment to continue we are damaging our current society as well as inhibiting our children from evolving it into a more mature, forgiving, caring, and responsible one in the future.