Eighth Amendment

noun

1. an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights, guaranteeing reasonable bail, fines, and punishment.

Example Sentences

The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, including the denial of necessary medical care for inmates.

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The Supreme Court’s ruling also determined that the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishments does not protect homeless people from laws criminalizing resting in public places.

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The court has prevented unhoused people from using the Eighth Amendment to challenge laws that punish them for sleeping outdoors.

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This is a lesson that death penalty opponents need to keep in mind before they endorse any execution method or say that it meets the requirements of the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.

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“While firing squads may shock the senses,” Moran observed, “they are in fact the only way to comport with the requirements of the Eighth Amendment.”

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