cruel and unusual punishment

noun

: punishment that is very harsh and too severe for the crime

The law forbids cruel and unusual punishment.

Examples of cruel and unusual punishment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

My concern is heightened by the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, which decided that the U.S. Constitution does not protect people from cruel and unusual punishment for sleeping outside. —Christina Avery, The Arizona Republic, 10 July 2024

Her lawsuit, filed by attorney Cary McGehee, maintains Wayne County, its Executive Warren Evans and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel, along with others, violated her son's constitutional rights, including protections against cruel and unusual punishment. —Christine MacDonald, Detroit Free Press, 17 July 2024

Supreme Court Allows Cities to Enforce Bans on Homeless People Sleeping Outside In 2018, three homeless people sued Grants Pass claiming the ordinances violated the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. —Ella Howard / Made By History, TIME, 10 July 2024

The high court concluded that laws penalizing homeless people for sleeping or pitching tents in public spaces do not constitute cruel and unusual punishment. —David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2024

Legal Definition

cruel and unusual punishment

noun

cruel and un·​usu·​al punishment

: punishment that is offensive to the contemporary morality or jurisprudence (as by being degrading, inflicting unnecessary and intentional pain, or being disproportionate to the offense)

nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted

—U.S. Constitution amend. VIII

see also Gregg v. Georgia compare corporal punishment, death penalty

Note: A cruel and unusual punishment is essentially one that the courts consider to violate the Eighth Amendment based on a variety of criteria. The interpretation of what constitutes cruel and unusual punishment has changed over time and has varied from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Most forms of corporal punishment formerly used at common law have been found to be cruel and unusual punishments.