Criminal Procedure Variation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Criminal Procedure Variation - Essay Example "1. The punishment cannot be invariably disproportionate to the crime. Applying this principle in Coker v. Georgia, the Court held that the death penalty was grossly disproportionate to the crime of rape of an adult woman. 2. The statute should be carefully drafted to ensure adequate information and guidance to the sentencing authority. For example, the Court struck down the death penalty statute in Lockett v. Ohio because it improperly limited the range of mitigating circumstances available for consideration. 6. Appellate review by a court of statewide jurisdiction should be available. Although Georgia's scheme of proportionality review may not be required, the system must guard against sentences wantonly or capriciously imposed."( http://www.law.ua.edu/colquitt/crimmain/crimmisc/colquitt.htm) After the passing of this law, starting in 1983, Alabama has executed 34 people in the history of its death sentence program. Four people were killed in the first 9 months of the year 2005 alone (http://blogs.amnestyusa.org/death-penalty/archive/2005/09/).