What is Cruel and Unusual

Cruel and unusual, these two words have caused much debate on the issue of capital punishment. In the eighth amendment it states that cruel and unusual punishment should not be inflected. But what does cruel and unusual mean? Cruel means "causing pain and suffering" and the word unusual means "not usual; beyond the ordinary; not in common use; uncommon". So cruel and unusual punishment means to cause pain and suffering in an uncommon way. In …

…beating his pet or neglecting it for no reason. All of these situations cause pain and suffering, and shouldn't be usual in a home setting. The question of whether or not capital punishment or life in prison are cruel and unusual forms of punishment will probably never have a definite answer in everyone's eyes. But these words can have meaning in many different situations that don't involve the eighth amendment and its usage of them.