Troy Davis

We cannot, of course, know for certain whether Troy Davis was the man who killed Police officer Mark McPhail, but his appeals were turned down at every stage, including the final one to the Supreme Court, last night. All but a handful of American States have the death penalty and Davis was executed..

However the crime was committed in 1989 and Davis was convicted in 1991. He has spent 20 years, from age 22 to age 42 knowing that his life was at the disposal of the Justice System. Twenty years. I should have thought that was a 'cruel and unusual punishment' as the Eighth Amendment calls it.