Opinion ID: 1060419
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: application of article i, section 16

Text: Any interpretation of a constitutional provision necessarily begins with its language. Article I, section 16 of the Tennessee Constitution provides that excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. We have previously recognized the textual similarity of this provision to that of the Eighth Amendment, and as such, we have adopted the analysis used by the United States Supreme Court in Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153, 173, 96 S.Ct. 2909, 49 L.Ed.2d 859 (1976), for determining whether a punishment is cruel and unusual under the Tennessee Constitution. See State v. Black, 815 S.W.2d 166, 189 (Tenn.1991). According to this standard, the petitioner is entitled to a reduced sentence only if he can show that his punishment is cruel and unusual in light of three factors: First, does the punishment for the crime conform with contemporary standards of decency? Second, is the punishment grossly disproportionate to the offense? Third, does the punishment go beyond what is necessary to accomplish any legitimate penological objective[?] Id. (citations omitted). I disagree that the petitioner has successfully met his burden under any of these three criteria. [13]
Taking these inquiries in reverse order, the legitimate penological objectives of capital punishment in this state, retribution and deterrence, see, e.g., State v. Keen, 31 S.W.3d 196, 217 (Tenn.2000), are not undermined so long as the defendant possesses the capacities to appreciate that certain action will lead to the death of others, to appreciate the moral wrongfulness of murder, and to behave in a lawful manner. While the mental condition of some offenders may significantly impair these capacities, I disagree that this conclusion invariably follows in all cases. Consequently, where these capacities remain largely unaffected by the defendant's mental condition, the Constitution cannot bar capital punishment on the ground that no penological goal supports it.