1. The 8th Amendment
And the death penalty

2. The 8th amendment reads:
“ Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted”.

3. Furman V. Georgia
In 1972, in the case Furman V. Georgia, the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was unconstitutional, citing it’s inherent “ cruel nature”; overturned in 1976.

4. The Death Penalty Today:
In 2005, the court ruled that executing juveniles was unconstitutional.
In 2002, the court ruled that executing the mentally handicapped was unconstitutional.

5. Cost
According to the LA Times, the death penalty in CA costs 20 times more than life imprisonment. Most of these costs are incurred at the trial level.
In CA, you automatically get an appeal if you are sentenced to death.

6. Methods
Each of the 34 states that have the DP use injection primarily, with 1 or 2 backups (the only exception is Nebraska, which only has the electric chair).
Other states that use the chair as a backup: Alabama, Florida, S. Carolina, Virginia, and Oklahoma. Delaware, N. Hampshire and Washington all offer Hanging. Idaho and Oklahoma use a firing squad

7. CA Notes Use lethal injection
-Currently have over 721 inmates on death row
-Executed 13 since 1976
-Can receive the death penalty for 1st degree murder, train wrecking, treason, and perjury resulting in an execution.