Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

This article is part of a series on the
Constitution of the United States of America
Preamble and Articles of the Constitution
Preamble I II III IV V VI VII
Amendments to the Constitution
Bill of Rights I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV XVI XVII XVIII XIX XX XXI XXII XXIII XXIV XXV XXVI XXVII
Proposed Amendments
Congressional Apportionment Titles of Nobility Corwin Child Labor Equal Rights D.C. Voting Rights
History
History Articles of Confederation Convention Federalism Republicanism
Full text of the Constitution and Amendments
Preamble & Articles I–VII Amendments I–X Amendments XI–XXVII Unratified Amendments
v t e

Ratified on December 15, 1791, the Eighth Amendment (Amendment VIII) to the United States Constitution is a part of the United States Bill of Rights.^[1] This amendment has three parts that each grant specific rights. The excessive bail clause limits excessive bail for any person arrested for a crime but has not yet been placed on trial.^[2] The excessive fines clause is intended to limit fines imposed by state and federal governments on persons who have been convicted of a crime.^[2] The most controversial and most important part is the cruel and unusual punishment clause.^[2] The Eighth Amendment applies to criminal punishment and not to most civil procedures.^[3]

1. ↑ Bryan A. Stevenson; John F. Stinneford. "The Eighth Amendment". National Constitution Center. Archived from the original on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} "Eighth Amendment". The Free Dictionary/Farlex. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
3. ↑ "Eighth Amendment" (PDF). GPO, U. S. Government Printing Office. Jun 25, 2004. Retrieved 24 February 2016. p. 1565