The Eighth Amendment And Cruel Punishment Essay - 2194 Words

The eighth amendment states: Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. (The Bill of Rights). Although excessive bails and excessive fines are a problem, the focus for this paper is going to be centered on cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. For years, many inmates and other people in society have been victims of cruel and unusual punishment. Extreme cases have included hangings, cadena temporal, being burned alive, public dissection, and today the focus is on lethal injections and quick ways to put people in their deathbeds. Although there is a desirability to steer the chances of crimes, among other factors, I believe that the death penalty, lethal injections, and other forms of perishment are inhumane and therefore contradict the eighth amendment. The eighth amendment is important to me because I believe everyone has something to prove. Everyone can do better, including the people who are imprisoned and have done horrible acts. A death sentence is inhumane to me personally, because I picture my mother getting sentenced to death and having no say in what is happening. Recently, I watched a movie titled Dancer in the Dark directed by Lars von Trier. This movie featured a young single mother raising a child while she was becoming blind. She became friends with her neighbor who was a cop, and the cop became immensely suicidal one evening due to a lack and heavy spendage of income from his family,Show MoreRelatedImportance Of The Eighth Amendment1115 Words   |  5 PagesThe eighth amendment helps people stay safe, for those who are going to jury. The eighth amendment was ratified in 1791 and stated that, â€Å"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines are imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.† This was made to help make sure that more amounts of bail money/property are not given to by excessive amounts, and that cruel or unusual punishments are not prohibited to any person going into court. Bail is where a certain amount of money is requiredRead MoreThe Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution Essay1723 Words   |  7 Pagesnor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. Eighth Amendment, 1791 The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution limits the punishments that may be imposed by the government on American citizens. These limits are compulsory among the states by way of the Fourteenth Amendment. The English Bill of Rights of 1689 expressed concern with arbitrary and disproportionate sanctions, giving way to the Founders inclusion of the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. To explore the Eighth AmendmentRead MoreSupreme Court Cases and the Eighth Ammendment865 Words   |  3 Pagesthe first ten amendments which were included to guarantee personal rights. One interesting amendment that has tested numerous times through the Supreme Court is the Eighth Amendment: no cruel or unusual punishment, it definitely changed America’s on what punishment is considered cruel and unusual. The Eighth Amendment was tested through many Supreme Court and there were some very significant ones such as the Miller v. Alabama. The no cruel or unusual aspect of the Eighth Amendment gives protectionRead MoreEssay about 8th Amendment1153 Words   |  5 PagesThe Eighth Amendment The 8th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, as well as the setting of excessive bail or the imposition of excessive fines. However, it has also been deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States (according to the Eighth Amendment)to inflict physical damage on students in a school environment for the purpose of discipline in most circumstances. The 8th Amendment stipulates that bail shall notRead MoreEssay about The Eighth Amendment1138 Words   |  5 PagesThe 8th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, as well as the setting of excessive bail or the imposition of excessive fines. However, it has also been deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States (according to the Eighth Amendment)to inflict physical damage on students in a school environment for the purpose of discipline in most circumstances. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The 8th Amendment stipulatesRead MoreThe Eighth Amendment and Death Penalty Essay1399 Words   |  6 PagesThe Eight Amendment to the U.S. Constitution â€Å"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted†, proposed on 9/25/1789 and approved on 12/15/1791. The cruel and unusual punishment confines the harshness of penalties that state and federal governments may inflict upon ones who have been condemned of a criminal offense. The excessive fines phrase restricts the amount that state and federal governments may possibly fine an individual for aRead MoreConstitutional Conflict of the Dealth Penalty Essay584 Words   |  3 Pages The courts positions of the death penalty has changed over the years. For centuries societies have used death as the ultimate penalty for crime. In the 1960s, the court ruled against the death penalty as a cruel and unusual punishment, which was forbidden by th e eighth amendment of the Constitution. By the 1990s the death penalty was again in wide use supported by the court and Congress, which continually expanded by legislation the crimes for which death would be an acceptable penaltyRead MoreThe Debate Over Capital Punishment936 Words   |  4 Pages The debate over capital punishment is in regards to whether the death penalty contradicts the Eighth Amendment. If the death penalty does contradict the Eight Amendment, then the State should not have the power to sentence criminals to death for capital crimes. However, if capital punishment is not against the Eighth Amendment, then the State has the right to sentence criminals to death. In this essay I will first summarize Justice Brennan’s argument on why the death penalty is beyond the powerRead MoreDebate on the Death Penalty in America1482 Words   |  6 Pagesabove is from the book, Cruel and Unusual. It later states in this book that if Simmons had received the death penalty then that would have violated his eighth and fourteenth amendment rights. Why is it that a person committing such a heinous crime could receive life in prison when another person committing an equally horrible offence might receive capital punishment? Is it right for the United States to operate a system such as capital punishment? Does capital punishment follow the guidelines setRead MoreConstitutionality of the Death Penalty1485 Words   |  6 Pages12-16 ) The excerpt above is from the book Cruel and Unusual. It later states in this book that if Simmons had received the death penalty then that would have violated his eighth and fourteenth amendment rights. Why is it that a person committing such a heinous crime could receive life in prison when another person committing an equal offence might receive capital punishment? Is it right for the United States to operate a system such as capital punishment? Does that follow the guidelines set out by