Eight Amendment Essay

When our founding fathers wrote the Bill of Rights, they included a surfeit of amendments that would protect the people’s rights. One of the most prominent amendments in the bill of rights is the eighth amendment. The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution is the section of the Bill of Rights that states that punishments must be fair, cannot be cruel, and that fines that are extraordinary large cannot be set. The eighth amendment states that punishment must be fair, however a plethora of modern issues violate this specific part of the amendment. In fact, one of the most pivotal modern issue regarding the eight amendment in the bill of rights is death penalty.
The death penalty has two meanings. It is notorious as the capital punishment …show more content…
For the people that do agree with it, there perspectives of the death penalty is that it is the ultimate warning, that criminals should not commit any crime to be ended up in that predicament. For example, ‘’ He may have no intention of killing anyone in the process of robbing them, but is much more apprehensive about the possibility if he knows he will be executed. Thus, there is a better chance that he will not break and enter in the first place’’. This example from the article is elucidating that if a criminal would just abide by the law and don’t commit any crime then he wouldn’t have to face any death penalty, and that this is why it is the ultimate warning. Another example of people’s perspective that agree with death penalties is that it provide closure for the victims making them complacent. For example,’’ Unfortunately, the murderer has deprived his family and friends of a loved one. Their grief begins with the murder. It may not end with the murderer’s execution, but the execution does engender a feeling of relief at no longer having to think about the ordeal—a feeling which often fails to arise while the murderer still lives on’’ . This example is delineating that if that individual does get executed it will make the victim satisfied, giving them their sense of relief. It also explain …show more content…
For the people that don’t agree with death penalty there perspective is that it is unconstitutional and it violates the eight amendment. For example, ‘’ "Death is not only an unusually severe punishment, unusual in its pain, in its finality, and in its enormity, but it serves no penal purpose more effectively than a less severe punishment. I would set aside the death sentences imposed... as violate of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments." This example is explaining that the death penalty is cruel and unconstitutional from William J. Brennen perspective. Another example of peoples perspective of death penalty is it teaches the condemned nothing. If the criminals who are being sentence to a death penalty had a chance to rehabilitate their selves, learn from their mistakes then they could possibly change, however they won’t be able to change if they are deceased. For example, ‘’ His time in prison is meant to deprive him of the freedom to go where he wants anywhere in the world, and to do what he wants when he wants. This is the punishment, and most people do learn from it. In general, no one wants to go back. But if that child grows up and murders someone for their wallet or just for fun, and they are in turn put to death, they are taught precisely nothing, because they are no longer alive to learn from it. We cannot rehabilitate a person