What is the significance of the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as it relates to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the 2008 Kennedy v. Louisiana rape case?
What will be an ideal response?
The Eighth Amendment has been interpreted to prohibit sentences that are disproportionate to the crime committed. In Kennedy v. Louisiana, the Supreme Court held that capital punishment could not be imposed for the crime of aggravated rape of a child. The court stated that in determining whether the death penalty is excessive, there is a distinction between intentional first-degree murder on the one hand and nonhomicide crimes against individual persons, even including child rape, on the other.
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In a study on the use of force in the Miami-Dade Police Department, researchers reported that almost all cases (97%) concerned ______.
a. officers striking the suspect b. acts of resistance by the suspect c. deadly force d. the use of dogs, batons, or other weapons
It appears that policing strategies are most effective when:
a. teamed with intervention programs. b. conducted in an aggressive manner. c. conducted by a specialized gang unit. d. supported by the political structure.
The public defender method is
a. attorneys appointed by the judge on a case-by-case basis. b. attorneys hired to provide services for a specified dollar amount. c. a salaried public official representing all indigent defendants. d. None of these answers is correct.
In 2009, nineteen states actually had a decline of state prisons for the first time in nearly 40 years
a. True b. False