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

With inmate suicide rates at an all-time high, U.S. District Senior Judge Kimberly Mueller said her aim is to force changes in California’s prison mental health system, which a federal judge in 1995 deemed to be so poor as to constitute cruel and unusual punishment. —Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2025

Meanwhile in Louisiana, Hoffman's attorneys challenged the way the execution was to be carried out, saying the largely untested nitrogen gas method would violate his constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. —Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2025

Hoffman's attorneys sought to stop the execution saying in court filings the method is unconstitutional, violating the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. —CBS News, 19 Mar. 2025

Hoffman's lawyers had unsuccessfully argued that the nitrogen gas procedure -- which deprives a person of oxygen -- violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. —arkansasonline.com, 19 Mar. 2025

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.