8th Amendment

A majority of countries in the world approve of and use the death penalty.

• True

• False

A majority of Americans think that life in prison is more appropriate than the death penalty.

• True

• False

SCOTUS, in Trop v Dulles, created the "evolving standards of decency" policy. That means

• the meaning of the 8th Amendment changes.

• the meaning of the 8th Amendment never changes

• each time the death penalty is used, SCOTUS must examine the case

• the death penalty will always be around.

The Supreme Court case that stopped the death penalty (for a time) in the US because it was given in random fashion that seemed racially biased.

• Furman v Georgia

• Gregg v Georgia

• Marbury v Madison

• Miranda v Arizona

In this case, SCOTUS ruled that the defendant must suffer the death penalty because he could not prove that racial bias affected his specific case. His attorneys did prove that race did affect the death penalty in general.

• McCleskey v Kemp

• Gregg v Georgia

• Trop v Dulles

• Furman v Georgia

In the US, you can only be executed for a crime . . .

• that resulted in someone's death

• that is considered especially heinous

• that violates someone's rights

According to Roper v Simmons, only those offenders age ___ and older can be executed.

• 21

• 16

• 14

• 18

According to Atkins v Virginia, ___ could not be executed

• the mentally handicapped

• juveniles

• mentally insane

The Ford v Wainwright case established that a person could only be executed if

• they are in their right mind at the time of execution

• they were sane at the time the crime was committed

• they are over 21

• they can understand right from wrong

The ___ Amendment forbids cruel and unusual punishment

• 7th

• 4th

• 8th

• 11th