Presentation Pro
Magruder’s
American Government
C H A P T E R 20
Civil Liberties: Protecting Individual Rights
© 2001 by Prentice Hall, Inc.
SECTION 4
Learning Objectives: Punishment
• What is the purpose of bail and preventive
detention
• What is the Court’s interpretation of cruel and
unusual punishment
• What is the history of the Court’s decisions of
capital punishment
• What is treason
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Chapter 20, Section 4
Bail and Preventative Detention
•
•
Bail is a sum of money that
the accused may be required
to deposit with the court as a
guarantee that he or she will
appear in court.
The Constitution does not
guarantee that all accused
persons are entitled to bail,
just that the amount of the
bail cannot be excessive.
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•
•
Preventive detention is a
law that allows federal judges
to order that accused felons
be held without bail if there is
a danger that the person will
commit another crime if
released.
Critics think preventive
detention amounts to
presuming the accused guilty.
The Court upheld the law in
United States v. Salerno,
1987.
Chapter 20, Section 4
Guided Reading
Bail and Preventive Detention
1. Every person accused of a crime must be allowed
to set his or her own bail.
Every person accused of a crime is not automatically
granted bail; bail is set by the court.
2. The Supreme Court rejected preventive detention
in Stack v. Boyle, 1951.
The Court upheld preventive detention in United States
v. Salerno, 1987.
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Cruel and Unusual Punishment
The 8th Amendment also forbids “cruel and unusual
punishment.” The Supreme Court extended the provision
to the States in Robinson v. California, 1962.
•
•
•
The 8th Amendment is intended to prevent, in the Court’s
opinion, barbaric tortures such as drawing and quartering and
other excessively cruel punishments.
The Supreme Court held that defining narcotics addiction as a
crime, rather than an illness, was cruel and unusual in Robinson
v. California, 1962. In Estelle v. Gamble, 1976, it ruled that a
prison inmate could not be denied medical care.
However, generally the Court has not found many punishments
to be cruel and unusual.
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Chapter 20, Section 4
Guided Reading
Cruel and Unusual Punishment
3. The 6th Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual
punishment and the 13th Amendment extends that
prohibition to the States.
The 8th Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment and
the 14th Amendment extends that prohibition to the States.
4. The Supreme Court has ruled that death by firing squad is
cruel and unusual.
The Supreme Court has ruled that death by firing squad is not
cruel or unusual.
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Capital Punishment
Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is hotly debated
under the 8th Amendment.
•
The Supreme Court voided
capital punishment laws in the
early 1970s because it felt that
the punishment was applied
“capriciously” to only a few
convicts, often African American
or poor or both.
•
However, in 1976, the Court held for
the first time that a new law which
instituted the death penalty was
NOT unconstitutional. The new law
provided for a two-stage trial
process. One trial would determine
guilt or innocence, and a second
hearing would decide whether the
death penalty was warranted. The
Court later restricted the use of the
death penalty to cases where the
victim died.
Despite these decisions, debate still surrounds
the issue.
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Chapter 20, Section 4
Guided Reading
Capital Punishment
5. Thirty States have capital punishment laws.
Thirty-eight States have capital punishment laws.
6. A State can impose the death penalty only
for crimes resulting in excessive cruelty to the
victim.
A State can impose the death penalty only for
crimes resulting in the death of the victim.
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Treason
Treason is the only
crime defined in the
Constitution.
•
Treason is:
1. Levying war against the
United States or
2. Giving aid and comfort to
the enemies of the United
States.
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•
A person can only commit
treason in times of war, and it
is punishable by the death
penalty.
Other related acts, such as
sabotage or espionage, can
be committed in peacetime.
John Brown, who was
hanged as a traitor to Virginia
because of his raid on
Harper’s Ferry, is the only
person ever to be executed
for treason against a State.
Chapter 20, Section 4
Guided Reading
Treason
7. Treason is the only crime specifically defined in the
Constitution because the Framers knew that its meaning
would be lost with time.
Treason is the only crime specifically defined in the Constitution
because the Framers knew that this charge is often used by
tyrants to silence their opponents.
8. A person can be convicted of treason if there is one
eyewitness to the treasonous act.
A person can be convicted of treason if there are two eyewitnesses
to the treasonous act or there is a confession in open court.
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Guided Reading
KEY TERMS
bail
11. money an accused person must deposit with the court to guarantee
an appearance at trial
preventive detention
10. holding the accused without bail when there is reason to believe
the accused will commit serious crimes before trial
capital punishment
12. the death penalty
treason
8. levying war against the United States or giving aid and comfort to its
enemies
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Section 4 Review
1. Bail is
(a) a fine you have to pay if you are arrested.
(b) a tax to support jails.
(c) a deposit you put down to guarantee appearance in court.
(d) a contract between the State and a prisoner.
2. Treason is
(a) the only crime defined in the Constitution..
(b) punishable by death.
(c) committed only in wartime.
(d) all of the above.
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Chapter 20, Section 4