cruel and unusual punishment

Punishment that is torturous, degrading, inhuman, grossly disproportionate to the crime in question, or otherwise shocking to the moral sense of the community. • Cruel and unusual punishment is prohibited by the Eighth Amendment. [Cases: Sentencing and Punishment 1430–1439. C.J.S. Criminal Law §§ 1463, 1472, 1593–1594, 1596–1597, 1599, 1602.]