Amendment 8 - Cruel and Unusual Punishment

       http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/23974.html
  
        Death penalty decisions loom for Barack Obama


  Amendment 8 states : " ......  nor cruel or unusual punishment inflicted." This means that no U.S citizen can have cruel or unusual punishment inflicted on them.

  The article is about how Barack Obama is dealing with having to decided whether to give these inmates the death penalty or not. There was 3 different cases and there were six inmates on trial. The first case dealt with a gang banger with a death sentence for drug related murders. The second case dealt with 2 men with death sentences for abduction , sexual assault and murder of a 16 year old girl. The third was a man who was convicted of killing a prison guard. The article was also talking about how Obama was trying to figure out what he was going to do - as far as going through with the death penalty for the inmates. He feels that the death penalty should only be a option when the crime is "heinous". Obama feels like that a "heinous" crime would be , if someone raped a child under the age of 8 and they also killed them. However , he doesn't feel that a "heinous" crime if someone rapes a child older than 8 and wasn't murdered.

  This article relates to Amendment 8 because , the amendment talks about " cruel and unusual punishment". Some say that the death penalty could be considered as cruel and unusual. when the death penalty is given out some say that its unconstitutional. That's why Obama wants to make sure that the death penalty isn't a option unless necessary , and in very special cases.

   I could agree with Obama's decision in thinking about the case longer than usual. Having the power in keeping and taking away a mans life is a very big power to have. That decision shouldn't be taking lightly. I think that the death penalty sometimes are given unnecessary for the crime that the person committed. I think that the death penalty shouldn't be given unless the person was really crazy. I think that maybe serial killer , serial  rapist , and people who hurt children and crimes of that sort, should be given the death penalty. I feel like the death penalty is given at the wrong times and not when they should really be given.