Final answer:
The Eighth Amendment protects against excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishment, ensuring fairness and humanity in the U.S. justice system.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides protection against several practices that could be used against individuals in the judicial system. Specifically, it states that “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”
This amendment captures three key concepts meant to ensure fairness and humanity in the justice system: the prevention of excessive bail and fines, ensuring they are not used to punish an individual pre-trial or disproportionately to the crime, and the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, a principle which prevents inhumane treatment, including certain barbaric forms of capital punishment, and includes considerations for the methods used in executions.