Preventing Cruel and Unusual Punishment: The Eighth Amendment

If someone commits a crime in the United States, that person can expect to receive a specific sentence. It makes sense that a person who robs a bank with weapons should receive a harsher punishment than someone who steals food from the grocery store. The Founding Fathers created the Eighth Amendment to protect the people from being improperly punished, but to this day, Americans continue to argue about what "cruel and unusual" really means. This book explores the creation of the Bill of Rights and the different ways the Eighth Amendment has been defined through the centuries.