Cruel and Unusual

<p>On the inaugural episode of <em>More Perfect</em>, we explore three little words embedded in the 8th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: “cruel and unusual.” America has long wrestled with this concept in the context of our strongest punishment, the death penalty. A majority of “we the people” (<a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/1606/death-penalty.aspx">61 percent</a>, to be exact) are in favor of having it, but inside the Supreme Court, opinions have evolved over time in surprising ways.</p> <p>And outs...