What is the 8th and 14th Amendment?

Asked by: Janet Langosh  |  Last update: February 19, 2022
Score: 4.1/5 (17 votes)

The Eighth Amendment

Eighth Amendment
The Eighth Amendment (Amendment VIII) to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines, or cruel and unusual punishments. This amendment was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the United States Bill of Rights.
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protects prisoners who have been convicted and sentenced from cruel and unusual punishment. The Fourteenth Amendment protects pre-trial detainees. In some cases, such as deliberate indifference to medical needs, the burden of proof is the same.

What is the 8th amendment in simple terms?

The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution states: “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” This amendment prohibits the federal government from imposing unduly harsh penalties on criminal defendants, either as the price for obtaining ...

What is the 14th amendment in simple terms?

The Fourteenth Amendment is an amendment to the United States Constitution that was adopted in 1868. It granted citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to African Americans and enslaved people who had been emancipated after the American Civil War.

What did 15th Amendment do?

The amendment reads, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” The 15th Amendment guaranteed African-American men the right to vote.

What is my 14th Amendment right?

No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

The Eighth Amendment Explained: The Constitution for Dummies Series

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Who is protected under the 14th amendment?

Passed by the Senate on June 8, 1866, and ratified two years later, on July 9, 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship to all persons "born or naturalized in the United States," including formerly enslaved people, and provided all citizens with “equal protection under the laws,” extending the provisions of ...

Why is the Eighth Amendment good?

Eighth Amendment Protections Against Cruel Punishments, Excessive Bail, and Excessive Fines. The Eighth Amendment provides three essential protections for those accused of a crime, on top of those found in the Fifth and Sixth Amendments: It prohibits excessive bail and fines, as well as cruel and unusual punishments.

How is the 8th Amendment used today?

These amendments were specifically intended to expand the Constitution's protection of individual liberties. Today's blog regards the Eighth Amendment. The Eighth Amendment generally applies to criminal bail and punishment and does not typically apply in most civil procedures.

What does the 8th Amendment not protect?

Unratified Amendments:

The Eighth Amendment (Amendment VIII) to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines, or cruel and unusual punishments.

What violates the 8th Amendment?

A prison guard's deliberate indifference to a prisoner's serious illness or injury would constitute cruel and unusual punishment which would violate the Eighth Amendment.

What are the 3 clauses of the 8th Amendment?

It contains three clauses, which limit the amount of bail associated with a criminal infraction, the fines that may be imposed, and also the punishments that may be inflicted.

Why is the 8th Amendment controversial?

The 8th Amendment is controversial because the terms 'cruel and unusual' have been considered subjective terms and the courts have been divided on how to read the 8th Amendment. For example, the death penalty is still legal in some states while other states find it cruel and unusual.

Does the death penalty go against the 8th Amendment?

The Court has consistently ruled that capital punishment itself is not a violation of the Eighth Amendment, but that some applications of the death penalty are "cruel and unusual." For example, the Court has ruled that execution of mentally retarded people is unconstitutionally cruel and unusual, as is the death ...

What are some examples of the 8th Amendment?

8th Amendment Examples
  • Excessive bail or fines.
  • Excessive force or brutal treatment.
  • Unsafe prison conditions.
  • Unsanitary prison conditions.

What are the 3 main clauses of the 14th Amendment?

  • The Fourteenth Amendment (Amendment XIV) to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments. ...
  • The amendment's first section includes several clauses: the Citizenship Clause, Privileges or Immunities Clause, Due Process Clause, and Equal Protection Clause.

What are two important provisions of the 14th Amendment?

The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1868, granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States—including former enslaved people—and guaranteed all citizens “equal protection of the laws.” One of three amendments passed during the Reconstruction era to abolish slavery and ...

How can the 14th Amendment be violated?

Washington , the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the due process clause of the 14th Amendment (which guarantees the right to a fair hearing that follows the rules) is violated when a state law fails to explain exactly what conduct is prohibited.

What crimes get death penalty?

Capital punishment is a legal penalty under the criminal justice system of the United States federal government. It can be imposed for treason, espionage, murder, large-scale drug trafficking, or attempted murder of a witness, juror, or court officer in certain cases.

How many innocent people have been executed in the US?

More than 185 people who were sentenced to death in the United States have been exonerated and released since 1973, with official misconduct and perjury/false accusation the leading causes of their wrongful convictions.

What are some examples of cruel and unusual punishments?

Cruel and unusual punishment refers to punishment that fails to meet social decency standards – it is overly painful, torturous, degrading, or humiliating (e.g., disemboweling, beheading, public dissecting and burning alive) or is grossly disproportionate to the crime committed.

Does the death penalty violate the 14th amendment?

a violation of the 8th and 14th amendments, outlawing the use of the death penalty in the United States.

Why doesn't the death penalty violate the 8th Amendment?

The Court held in Furman7 that the death penalty, at least as administered, violated the Eighth Amendment. ... Two justices concluded that the death penalty was cruel and unusual per se because the imposition of capital punishment does not comport with human dignity8 or because it is morally unacceptable and excessive.

Is the right to bear arms?

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Do prisoners have 8th Amendment rights?

The Eighth Amendment applies to inmate medical treatment because it not only prohibits excessive force but also requires that prisoners be afforded “humane conditions of confinement,” so that prison officials “ensure that inmates receive adequate food, clothing, shelter, and medical care.” Farmer v.

Who won USA vs bajakajian?

Bajakajian pleaded guilty to failure to report and opted for a bench trial on the forfeiture of the $357,144. A United States district court judge found the forfeiture of the whole $357,144 to be grossly disproportionate and in violation of the Eighth Amendment.