Eighth Amendment

This high school lesson, based on The Eighth Amendment: Cruel and Unusual Punishment film, examines whether evolving standards of decency should apply equally to juveniles and adults in the criminal justice system. Students will explore key constitutional themes, including the Bill of Rights, the Eighth Amendment, and judicial review, while analyzing how Supreme Court rulings shape laws and punishments.

In this unit, based on The Eighth Amendment: Cruel and Unusual Punishment film, students will explore the changing interpretation of the 8th Amendment, and the phrase “cruel and unusual punishment”. Students will analyze multiple primary and secondary source documents, to understand historical context and current stakeholder perspectives on the juvenile justice system. Finally, students will use the concepts of ‘fairness’ and ‘justice’, to make amendments to the current Juvenile system in their state of residence, supported by precedent, evidence, and analysis.

This high school lesson plan, based on The Eighth Amendment: Cruel and Unusual Punishment film, engages students in exploring the concept of cruel and unusual punishment. Students will begin by brainstorming a list of punishments they believe fit this definition and explaining their reasoning. They will then analyze images of various punishment methods to determine whether they meet the constitutional standard. The lesson is largely student-driven, encouraging critical thinking as students examine the nature of punishment and take a position on whether the death penalty should be maintained or abolished.