The Cruel And Unusual Punishment Clause Of The Eighth Amendment

The “Cruel and Unusual Punishment” Clause of the Eighth Amendment came from the English Bill of Rights that were adopted in 1689. This provision was written into the English Bill of Rights after Titus Otis, who lied causing many innocent people to be executed, was punished in a cruel and unusual way at the time. George Manson first used the cruel and unusual punishment clause in 1776 when he drafted the Declaration of Rights for the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 1791, the clause was added to the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution. People feared that if this clause was not added that Congress would abuse its power and use cruel and unusual punishments as a tool to oppress them. Barbaric means of punishments, and punishments that