California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from People v. Mendez, D068724 (Cal. App. 2015):
A sentence violates the state prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment if " 'it is so disproportionate to the crime for which it is inflicted that it shocks the conscience and offends fundamental notions of human dignity.' " (People v. Dillon (1983) 34 Cal.3d 441, 478.) The federal Constitution " 'forbids only extreme sentences that are "grossly disproportionate" to the crime,' " and "[s]uccessful grossly disproportionate challenges are ' "exceedingly rare" ' and appear only in an ' "extreme" ' case." (People v. Em (2009) 171 Cal.App.4th 964, 977.)
The above passage should not be considered legal advice. Reliable answers to complex legal questions require comprehensive research memos. To learn more visit www.alexi.com.