Eighth Amendment Research Paper

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. Defendants who are not released on bail are being denied the opportunity to prepare their defense. Also, denying bail or having excessive bail imprisons the defendant without being properly convicted. There are cases, however, where bail must be denied or set excessively high. If an unconvicted defendant is feared to be a danger to the
Society must do the best they can with the knowledge they acquire. Who is to say that the death penalty will be abolished forever or that possibly the death penalty might become usual punishment for crimes less than heinous? The future, in regards to the death penalty, may hold some surprises for us. Only the future will reveal what is to come. ClarkProsecutor.Org, 2008. The death penalty. Retrieved on January 31, 2010 from http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/dpusa.htm FindLaw (2010). The eighth amendment. Retrieved on January 30, 2010 from http://www.findlaw.com/ Hornberger, Jacob. G. The bill of rights (2005). Retrieved on January 30, 2010 from http://www.fff.org/freedom/fd0503a.asp Justice (2009). History of the Death Penalty. Retrieved on January 30, 2010 from http://justice.uaa.alaska.edu/death/history.html LectLaw (2010).The eighth amendment. Retrieved on January 30, 2010 from http://www.lectlaw.com/def/e082.htm Onecle (2009). Excessive Fines. Retrieved onJanuary 30, 2009 from http://law.onecle.com/constitution/amendment-08/02-excessive-fines.html Wikipedia (2010). The eighth amendment. Retrieved on January 30, 2010 from