A criminal sentence violates the Eighth Amendment if it is cruel or unusual according to evolving standards of decency in the community. A punishment also must be proportionate to the crime. This requires a court to consider the seriousness of the crime and the sentence, as well as how the jurisdiction generally punishes crimes and how other jurisdictions punish the same crime. Sentencing procedures in death penalty cases must be individualized, and juries must consider the specific circumstances of the case and the defendant.