Essay The 8th Amendment - 1201 Words

The 8th Amendment In the United States Constitution, the 8th Amendment prohibits the use and practices of cruel and unusual punishment. What exactly is considered to be cruel and unusual punishment? This question is a hot topic among Americas many different current controversies. Many people are saying that the use of capital punishment (to be sentenced to death as a penalty in the eyes of the law [a capital crime]. An execution [capital punishment]) is a direct violation of the 8th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States (Capital Punishment). They say there should be another way to deal with these criminals other than having them executed. The purpose of this paper is to give a brief history of the death penalty†¦show more content†¦Those who opted to keep the death penalty did so because they thought that it would act as a discouragement for would be criminals and to keep the community safe. In theory it seemed clear-cut, but does it work? America has had more violent cri mes this century than in any other time in its history. The only real point that both sides can agree upon is that the death penalty stops the convicted murder from ever killing again. Some say that this reason is enough to keep the death penalty. There are currently five different ways to carry out the death penalty in the United States. The first is death by firing squad. Death occurs because of massive damage to the bodys vital organs, heart, central nervous system, or by a combination of these different effects with hemorrhage (The Execution Protocol). Probably the quickest way to execute a human being with a gun is to fire a single bullet from a piston at point blank range into the head. Yet in Idaho and Utah, the law specifies a five-man rifle squad. Execution by firing squad has a long history in America. The first recorded execution by firing squad was in 1608, when George Kendall, one of the original councilors in the colony of Virginia was put to death (The Execution Protocol). People opposed to the death penalty say that being shot to death if a form of cruel and unusual punishment. There have been cases where the marksmen have missed the shot and it has taken a man over an hour to dieShow MoreRelated8th Amendment658 Words   |  3 PagesCriminal Justice JUS-250 March 28, 2014 Michael Strauch 8th Amendment: Protection for Domestic and Foreign Terrorist Our forefathers who wrote the Declaration of Independence and served the people from their states came together to form ideas and write a Constitution that would protect the people, property and their rights as citizen of the United States. These two documents are what we were founded on. The simple version of the 8th Amendment, â€Å"Prohibits the federal government from imposing excessiveRead MoreImportance Of The 8th Amendment1109 Words   |  5 Pagespeople to ratify the constitution, the founding fathers agreed to add a Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights added 10 amendments to the constitution. The 8th amendment in the Bill of Rights is the most important amendment because it protects the right to no cruel or unusual punishments for committing a crime, the right to have a reasonable bail fee, and to have no excessive fines. The 8th amendment’s most confusing, and yet most important feature, is the right to no cruel or unusual punishments. The statementRead MoreEssay On The 8th Amendment1791 Words   |  8 PagesThe Most Significant Amendment in the Bill of Rights Throughout the history of this ever-expanding nation as well as many others, there have been times in which words alone were able to stop an action. Consequences were bountiful and punishment seemed to be thought of on the fly. For instance, a convicted murderer may have gotten thrown in jail, however a man who may have sneezed on the king would have been burned at the stake for â€Å"Crimes against the Kingdom.†   In modern times it seems nearly impossibleRead 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 MorePros And Cons Under The 8th Amendment Essay1935 Words   |  8 Pagesunder the 8th Amendment 1. Introduction The U.S. Constitutional Rights are laws that guarantee the basic rights for the citizens.There are twenty-seven Constitutional Amendments in total, but 10 of them represent The Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights ensures the basic individual protections such as freedom of speech and religion. The Bill of Rights became part of the Constitution in December 15, 1791 by George Mason. In my opinion, the 8th amendment is important because this amendment givesRead MoreAre Solitary Confinement and Super-Max Prisons Violating the 8th Amendment?1935 Words   |  8 PagesSince the introduction of solitary confinement and the construction of super-max prison there has an on going debate on whether using these punishment is violating the 8th amendment and also explaining all the health risk caused by solitary confinement. Solitary confinement is when a prisoner is held in a cell alone and they spend between 22.5 and 24 hours a day. Prisoners have no contact with other inmates and guards are also have limited contact with inmates. Solitary confinement was first introducedRead MoreThe Impact Of Civil Justice System On The United States1287 Words   |  6 PagesThis paper will provide a written analysis of the impact of the 4th 5th 6th 8th and 14th amendments in the processing of criminals through the justice system, and the impacts it has in the criminal justice systemâ €™s due process and processing of an offender. The process of which the criminal justice system protects defendant’s and victim’s rights is called the Due process. I will attempt to explain how the due process is applied to the U.S. Constitution, to include giving examples, explain the proceduralRead MoreThe Cell Phone Education Regulation Act872 Words   |  4 Pagesschool officials’ decision to keep the cell phones which are confiscated during the random searches, violate the 5th Amendment of the Constitution which guarantees that before any power or authority can take a person’s life, liberty or property, there must be constitutional safeguards set in place? Aren’t the students and their parents afforded due process under the 5th and 14th Amendments of the Constitution which provides the right to receive with ample notice and reason why the Cellular EducationalRead MorePrisoner Rights1245 Words   |  5 Pagesseems prisoner rights have played an essential role in the evolution of the prison system; it has had both positive and negative effects on inmates, and when looking at the key elements in obtaining those rights it is important to recognize the 8th amendment and section 1983 of civil rights litigation. Rights for prisoners can be a great benefit to the individual inmate should they choose to take advantage of them. While in the past, the system may have worked against inmates wanting to haveRead MoreThe Death Penalty : Is It Constitutional Or Moral? Essay1559 Words   |  7 Pagesopposing Great Britain. Therefore, the framers of the constitution Dyess 2 created rights to protect Americans from wrongful death, improper trails, and unusual punishments. The death penalty is a violation of an American’s 5th, 8th, and 14th amendments. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the