“By requiring that an execution be relatively painless, we necessarily protect the inmate from enduring any punishment that is comparable to the suffering inflicted on his victim. This trend, while appropriate and required by the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment, actually undermines the very premise on which public approval of the retribution rationale is based.” SufferingProtectVictimEndurePunishmentAppropriateTrendsUnusualAmendmentsApprovalExecutionPremisesProhibitionRetributionInmatesRationalePainlessCruel And Unusual Punishment Author:John Paul Stevens
“I think this country would be much better off if we did not have capital punishment.... We cannot ignore the fact that in recent years a disturbing number of inmates on death row have been exonerated.” IfsThinkingYearsHas BeensCountryFactsWould BeNumbersPunishmentBetter OffDisturbingDeath PenaltyCapital PunishmentInmatesDeath Row Author:John Paul Stevens
“But I really think it's a very unfortunate part of our judicial system and I would feel much, much better if more states would really consider whether they think the benefits outweigh the very serious potential injustice, because in these cases the emotions are very, very high on both sides and to have stakes as high as you do in these cases, there is a special potential for error. We cannot ignore the fact that in recent years a disturbing number of inmates on death row have been exonerated.” IfsThinkingFeelsYearsHas BeensStatesFactsSidesNumbersEmotionCasesSpecialSeriousBenefitsErrorsInjusticeStakesUnfortunateBoth SidesDisturbingJudicialInmatesDeath RowJudicial System Author:John Paul Stevens
