According to the US Supreme Court and the US Constitution, capital punishment is acceptable when the severity of the sentence has been deemed to be appropriate to the severity of the crime.Somepeople believe the death penalty is a justform of capital punishmentfor the crime offirst degreemurder.As of January 2008, 37states permit capital punishment. On the other hand, some people believe the death penalty is unjust because it violates the Eighth Amendment of theUS Constitution, which forbidscruel and unusual punishment.

Draft a 3 -4 page paper stating the arguments for and against the death penalty. Discuss recent SCOTUS decisions (the past decade or so) as they relate to the Eighth Amendment. Where do you think the US is going to go with it in the future? Do you support the death penalty or not? Explain.