This article examines international experience in defining the concept of public order. Using US case law and the high-profile case of the crime against John Lennon as an example, it concludes that it violates not only the right to life protected by law, but also the value of life, which can be individualized, protected by public order. It also concludes that the Eighth Amendment to the US Constitution, which prohibits cruel punishment, is not applicable in the M. Chapman case.