Question

A court rules that a state's method of executing prisoners causes too much pain and must be changed.

What part of the Bill of Rights is the basis for this decision?

A. The Sixth Amendment's guarantee of the right to a trial without unnecessary delay
B. The Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment
C. The Seventh Amendment's requirement that courts not overrule juries in civil cases D. The Fifth Amendment's acknowledgment that eminent domain has limits

Answer 1

The eighth adendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment

Answer 2

The correct answer is letter B. The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government to punish in cruel and unusual ways and/or using excessive bails or fines any individual. The precedent can be seen in cases like Thompson v. Oklahoma when the Supreme Court decided that death penalty was considered cruel and unusual punishment when the defendant was 16 or younger at the time of the crime, later in Roper v. Simmons the Court even barred death penalty for defendants that were 18 or younger. Also, in Atkins v. Virginia the Court decided that death penalty for people who are mentally handicapped is also cruel and unusual punishment.