Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
This means that a judge cannot set bail at an outrageous ammount if they do not like the accused. Bail has to be set at a reasonable ammount depending on the crime committed. The accussed are not to be put under punishment to try and get answers or information from them. This prevents the government from punishing a criminal in a unusual way; no more thinking of an eye for an eye. The argument over capitol punishment has conflicted with this amendment for a long time, it is still a hotly debated topic.
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