When the United States became an independent nation, a Constitution was made which guaranteed certain inalienable rights to its citizens. Within the constitution there are 27 amendments. These cover the most important rights that the United States people have. Over the past few years there has been an ongoing conflict in the state of Florida of whether the Eighth Amendment is being violated by the continued use of the electric chair as a form of capital punishment. According to some, the Electric Chair is violating this part of the Constitution, which prohibits "cruel and unusual punishment" (US Constitution). Florida has acquired a history of "messy" executions over the last three years because of several incidents, which made it appear that the inmate was in pain or otherwise being treated with cruelty. The issue, facing Florida's Electric Chair, is whether or not its use is constitutional because it violates the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society.
             In order to make a decision on whether Florida's electric chair would fit the qualities of cruel and unusual the term must be defined. According the Florida Supreme Court case of Jones vs. State in 1997, "In order for a punishment to constitute cruel or unusual punishment, it must involve 'torture or a lingering death' or the infliction of 'unnecessary and wanton pain.'" The evolved standards of decency would be referring to alternative methods of execution, which are considered more humane than electrocution. Florida's Electric Chair, however, does not fit into either of these categories; it is neither cruel nor unusual punishment and does not violate the evolving standards of decency.
             The problem with judging whether Electrocution is cruel or unusual punishment is how one interprets the constitution changes the definition. There are two extremes of interpretation,...