Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution
E52940
amendment to the United States Constitution
constitutional amendment
provision of the United States Bill of Rights
The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution is a key provision in the Bill of Rights that protects individuals from excessive bail and fines, as well as from cruel and unusual punishments, and serves as a central basis for challenges to the death penalty and prison conditions.
Aliases (4)
Statements (54)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
amendment to the United States Constitution
→
constitutional amendment → provision of the United States Bill of Rights → |
| adoptedBy |
United States Congress
→
|
| appliesTo |
criminal defendants
→
persons convicted of crimes → pretrial detainees → |
| author |
James Madison
→
|
| bindingOn |
federal government of the United States
→
|
| centralIssueInCase |
Atkins v. Virginia
→
Estelle v. Gamble → Furman v. Georgia → Graham v. Florida → Gregg v. Georgia → Hudson v. McMillian → Miller v. Alabama → Roper v. Simmons → Timbs v. Indiana → Trop v. Dulles → |
| constitutionalOrder |
Eighth
→
|
| containsClause |
Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause
→
Excessive Bail Clause → Excessive Fines Clause → |
| country |
United States of America
→
|
| doctrine |
evolving standards of decency
→
|
| effectiveDate |
December 15, 1791
→
|
| incorporatedAgainst |
state governments of the United States
→
|
| incorporatedThrough |
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
→
|
| inspiredBy |
English Bill of Rights of 1689
→
|
| interpretedBy |
Supreme Court of the United States
→
|
| isPartOfSeries |
first ten amendments to the United States Constitution
→
|
| jurisdiction |
United States federal government
→
|
| language |
English
→
|
| legalDomain |
constitutional law
→
criminal law → human rights law → |
| limits |
conditions of confinement in prisons and jails
→
length of certain criminal sentences → methods of execution → |
| partOf |
Bill of Rights
→
United States Constitution → |
| proposed |
1789
→
|
| protectsAgainst |
cruel and unusual punishments
→
excessive bail → excessive fines → |
| ratified |
1791
→
|
| ratifiedBy |
the states of the United States
→
|
| relatedTo |
capital punishment in the United States
→
prisoners' rights in the United States → |
| text |
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
→
|
| usedFor |
challenges to excessive bail determinations
→
challenges to excessive fines and forfeitures → challenges to prison conditions → challenges to the death penalty → |
Referenced by (16)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution
("Excessive Bail Clause")
→
Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ("Excessive Fines Clause") → Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution ("Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause") → |
containsClause |
|
Branch v. Texas
→
Furman v. Georgia → |
constitutionalProvision |
|
Branch v. Texas
("Eighth Amendment")
→
Jackson v. Georgia ("Eighth Amendment") → |
legalSubject |
|
Jackson v. Georgia
→
|
constitutionalProvisionInvolved |
|
Bill of Rights
→
|
containsAmendment |
|
United States constitutional amendments
→
|
includes |
|
Virginia Declaration of Rights
→
|
influenced |
|
Gregg v. Georgia
→
|
interpretsProvision |
|
William Henry Furman
→
|
legalIssue |
|
Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution
→
|
precedes |
|
First United States Congress
→
|
proposedAmendment |
|
Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution
→
|
ratifiedWith |