The Supremes have meddled well beyond their proper bounds and said that a death penalty for this crime is "cruel and unusual". They are wrong, in the sense that it's no more cruel to execute an evil predator who rapes a girl daily for many years than it is to execute an evil predator who murders a girl. They are also wrong in the sense that if execution is the standard penalty for raping a child (as it should be for this type of crime), then it is not legally an "unusual" punishment.
Sadly, our excuse for a justice system cannot give these evil rapists the punishment they deserve. Fortunately though, plenty of ordinary decent criminals will have their eyes open for an opportunity to do the right thing. In general, I believe that we should provide a safe environment for those in state custody, but my feelings become ambiguous when the justice system is broken.
Yes, this is another example of the legal system's nasty habit of torturing plain English well beyond its meaning.
Execution, per se, is neither cruel nor unusual. Especially in the context of the time when the Constitution was drafted, a quick, humane execution is the very antithesis of "cruel and unusual".
The truly cruel punishments of the 18th century are the type to make any person cringe and sicken at the thought. Prisoners were quite literally tortured to death in the most horrific and painful ways imaginable. We do not and HAVE not punished criminals in "cruel and unusual" ways in the US.
The "remove all accountability" culture which has grown up in the world just can't grasp the principle behind capital punishment. Some crimes are so horrible that the perpetrator's life should be forfeit. Aggravated kidnapping of a child from her own bed, with repeated aggravated rape is ABSOLUTELY in that category.