Solem v. Helm (1982)
- Docket
- 82-492
- Decided
- 1982-01-01
Summary
Question: Did the sentence violate the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments? Conclusion: Yes. Since all of Helm's prior offenses, including his current check-writing conviction, had been "relatively minor" and were not crimes against people, Justice Powell held that Helm had "received the penultimate sentence (South Dakota did not have the death penalty) for relatively minor criminal conduct." Powell concluded that Helm was treated more harshly than the state's most violent criminals.