Preview

8th Amendment Pros And Cons

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1280 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
8th Amendment Pros And Cons
The 8th Amendment ‘Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.’
1. Introduction Imagine being hanged for a felony you committed, or having your tongue pierced with a torched spoon because you were caught for a mistake that could have easily been fixed. These are the types of things the eighth amendment protects us from. Without this amendment, people on death row could easily be brutally tortured for things they might not have even done. It might not be to the extent of being hanged for a felony, but the point needs to be made that the eighth amendment has done nothing but good. I am interested in the eighth amendment because it focuses on a very serious problem. Death
…show more content…
Why should we do them the favor of ending their misery? That is not fair. If they really want to end their misery, let them do it themselves. It’s free, and we can’t blame ourselves for the wrong-doing. More realistically, there are a handful of people on death row that are there for the wrong reasons. Either they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, or they are taking the heat for someone else. This leads me to my next point. 4. There are plenty of innocent people that have been killed because of other people’s mistakes. How good are you feeling now? Not only are you paying good tax dollars to kill these people, but these people you are killing could easily be innocent! Yet, some people seem to think that if you are on death row, you deserve to be there, and you deserve to die.
“Have individuals on death row not been found guilty of a hideous crime? Have they not violated the rights of another innocent human being? I'm sorry, but after you have taken or violated the rights of another person, then you no longer have any rights!” Well, the writer of this article should be sorry. They are correct in that everyone on death row has been found guilty of a hideous crime, but this does not mean that they are in fact guilty. Also, by saying someone no longer has any rights is taking away someone’s rights concluding in them having their rights taken away as well, according to their

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In the People v. Caballero case, the 8th amendment was being denied when 16 year old Graham was served with “…a minimum of 110 years before becoming parole eligible” (People v. Caballero). Terrance Graham’s VIII amendment was violated, he was given a cruel and unusual punishment of a 110 year sentence, and only after that would he be eligible for parole. Graham was a 16 year old boy who was committed for armed burglary and attempted armed robbery, and was sentenced to probation. However, his probation was revoked and was sentenced to life in prison for burglary: “…leaving Graham with no possibility of release unless he was granted executive clemency” (PJDC). The number of given years is cruel because it falls out of a human’s natural life…

    • 155 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    8th Amendment Case Study

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages

    As the attorney for Joseph, the inmate in Louisiana, I’m writing to defend his 8th amendment rights. Joseph has committed murder, sentencing him to death. In his situation, he was attempting to kill himself but misfired murdering his roommate in the other room. This accident should not be punished by death as it wasn’t attempting. Joseph’s sad and unusual case mustn’t go to the worst stage of punishment and we plead for a life in prison instead of a lethal injection.…

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    E2- The 8th Amendment to the United States Constitution asserts that no United States citizen shall endure cruel or unusual punishment as administered by the state.…

    • 409 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The 8th Amendment to our Constitution prohibits the federal government from imposing cruel and unusual punishment. This amendment reigns over the states as well. According to the decision made in the Atkins vs. Virginia case it is cruel and unusual punishment to place someone with an IQ score of 70 or lower on death row. Many also deem it cruel and unusual to place anyone diagnosed as mentally disabled on death row.…

    • 371 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The eighth amendment is defined as “excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted (Lectlaw, 2010). This amendment was adopted as part of the Bill of Rights in 1791. The eighth amendment serves the purpose of protection of those who are innocent until proven guilty and to ensure that all persons are treated fairly in the criminal justice system.…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The 8th amendment is not as important as some of the other amendmendments, but is still very important and keeps the country under control. The 8th amendment does not allow excessive bail, excessive fines imposed, and cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. It is very important that this amendment doesn’t get taken away because it protects the country from total chaos and a potential tyranny. I wrote this speech for today to spread awareness on possibly losing this amendment. My goal is to explain why losing this amendment is dangerous and why it is important that the country keeps it. One important part of the 8th amendment is the prohibition on excessive bail.…

    • 354 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Eight Amendment Essay

    • 1429 Words
    • 6 Pages

    When our founding fathers wrote the Bill of Rights, they included a surfeit of amendments that would protect the people’s rights. One of the most prominent amendments in the bill of rights is the eighth amendment. The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution is the section of the Bill of Rights that states that punishments must be fair, cannot be cruel, and that fines that are extraordinary large cannot be set. The eighth amendment states that punishment must be fair, however a plethora of modern issues violate this specific part of the amendment. In fact, one of the most pivotal modern issue regarding the eight amendment in the bill of rights is death penalty.…

    • 1429 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    First of all, the Eighth Amendment was of great importance to the constitution, because of it’s protection. According to Eighth Amendment- Kids, 2012, it states, “Punishments must be fair, and cannot be cruel” This means that people cannot sentence others to torturous punishments. Many people do not use torture anymore, because this clause was enforced, According to Eighth Amendment, Imposing excessive and cruel punishment 2014, it is illegal to do harsh punishments. They put forth the information that “the government cannot demand excessive bail.” In other words, a bail, the temporary release of an accused person awaiting…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The price that taxpayers have to pay for execution is much lower than the price they have to pay for life in prison. Capital punishment is fair because they have caused so much pain and they deserve the same fate as their victim had. The Death penalty may cause future generations and current generations to view murder differently and teach them a lesson. No one should ever view human life as an object you can just steal from others. The criminal deserves to die for what he did to his victim. That is equal; equal for the criminal, equal for the family, and most of all equal for the…

    • 1348 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    die because they murdered someone that's why we have the life sentence or high security prisons. I don’t understand why the government should have decision on who should live and who shall perish . It's a very unusual and cruel punishment and the United States should retire using it.…

    • 477 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    People on death row are evil. For example Jesse Anderson was a murder he stabbed in wife thirty seven times. Also Jeffrey Dahmer was a horrible man. He raped, murdered and dismembered 17 boys often keeping parts of their body such as the skeleton. To make it worse he even involved necrophilia and cannibalism in his crimes. This man has no care for life and caused fear and sadness in the state of Wisconsin.…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    These people may or may not have committed a heinous crime, but some of those suspects do not want to be sentenced to death because of it. In an article, David R. Dow talks about the hundred death row inmates he has defended over the last twenty years. Some ask him for appeals to be killed as soon as possible because they cannot bare a life of imprisonment until their time to die comes. He also fights very hard for his victims and although he has helped inmates get their death sentence converted to a life in prison, his clients still feel betrayed. Dow states, ?Let me be clear: most of my clients want to live. Most of them prefer a life of virtually no freedom to no life at all. But underlying this preference is a hope, however faint, they might one day get out? (2). Death row inmates are people with feelings as well. Perhaps their crime was an act of hate, hurt, spite, or just because they generally wanted to, no one wants their life taken away from them. If they did just make a mistake and not mean to they might want to get out to correct their wrong. And although their chances of that are slim to none, it does not hurt to have some glimmer of hope in a place full of…

    • 1491 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Even if the death penalty is unfairly administered, and makes too many mistakes, and even if it does not make society safer and costs hundreds of millions of dollars, at least it serves the victims of crime. According to the death penalty information center Today, many victims' families are turning away from the death penalty. For one thing, the death penalty produces division in the victims' community and disappointment for 99% of the families involved. Since less than 1% of those who commit murder are ever executed, the families in the rest of the cases may feel cheated that their loved one was somehow short changed. And even where the death penalty is "the reward," it will only occur after 10 long years of uncertainty before an execution is carried out. Most likely, the case will be overturned at least once, it will be tried again, and in many instances a different sentence will result. We should not be putting victims through such a roller coaster of unpredictability. They should know right from the start that an execution is one of the least likely outcomes in their…

    • 1323 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Although unfairness is a major downfall of the Death Penalty, there is an ethical side in the mix as well. Whenever a criminal is put on Death Row, it creates a Lose-Lose situation. Both the criminal’s and the victim’s family suffer. Even though the victim’s kin may be seeking revenge, a large chunk of their time is stolen with court cases and hearings. Not to mention, the family may feel guilt at the offender’s death, for it was because of their doing that he/she is now dead (Holloway). Another reason through this is that Death Row refuses to see that people can change. It doesn’t accept that fact that human beings make mistakes, and there is always those that learn from them, and can change their character profile into someone better (Six…

    • 156 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Our second argument from, Should the Death Penalty be abolished? The Supreme Court has Increasingly Restricted the use of Capital Punishment on October 7th, 2013 by Diann Rust-Tierney and Joshua Marquis states that death penalty trials and appeals are so lengthy, it can take years before executions are carried out, burdening taxpayers with huge costs. Of the more that 3,100 people now on death row in the U.S, hundreds have been there more than 20 years and many are not close to execution. For example: sentences are available to punish the guilty and keep our communities safe. Taxpayer dollars could be better spent on crime prevention and to support those harmed by violence. It’s time for the U.S to join the international community by abandoning this medieval form of punishment.…

    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays