[3/5/19] Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Death Row Inmate with Dementia

• The U.S. Supreme Court sent a death-row case back to the lower courts on February 27th, ruling in favor of Vernon Madison, a death row inmate who claims he can no longer remember his crime due to vascular dementia. According to the ruling, the state of Alabama cannot execute a convicted murderer who cannot remember the crime due to a mental disorder. It is now up to the Alabama court to evaluate Madisons understanding of the punishment. The ruling demonstrates how the Eighth Amendments protection against cruel and unusual punishment is applied to inmates, and it highlights the contentious nature of capital punishment in the United States.

Post a response and answer the following questions:

• How prevalent is capital punishment in the United States?
• Do you believe Vernon Madison should still be executed for the crime he committed.
• Do you believe that executing an individual with dementia is cruel and unusual punishment?
• What constitutes cruel and unusual punishment?