Lesson 32: How Do the Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments Protect Rights within the Judicial System?
Why is procedural justice so important? (Video)
Importance of procedural justice; relationship to rule of law; protection of life, liberty, and property; trial rights and Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments; functions of Fourth and Fifth Amendments; core of Bill of Rights; indictment process; requirement for a grand jury; rules in state courts; indictment through an ?information? filed by a prosecutor; preliminary hearings; Eighth Amendment and bail; purpose of the right to counsel before trial.
Student Questions: Unit 5, Lesson 32, Sections 1-5 (pdf download)
What is the importance of the right to a speedy and public trial? (Video)
Importance of the right to a speedy and public trial; the Star Chamber in Great Britain; Sixth Amendment.
What is the importance of the right to compulsory process and confrontation? (Video)
Importance of rights to compulsory process and confrontation; Sixth Amendment; trial of Sir Walter Raleigh; meaning of the Compulsory Process Clause.
What is included in the right to trial by jury? (Video)
Sixth Amendment and the right to trial by jury; requirement of impartiality; meaning of ?jury of peers?; purposes and assumptions underlying right to trial by jury; number of jurors required in a criminal trial; capital offenses; federal compared with state jury requirements; when the right to a trial by jury is required; meaning of ?proof beyond a reasonable doubt?; requirement for an unanimous verdict; qualifications for jurors.
What rights take place after a trial? (Video)
The meaning of double jeopardy in the Fifth Amendment; right to appeal; Eighth Amendment and the protection against excessive fines and cruel and unusual punishment; Eighth Amendment and the constitutionality of capital punishment; limitations on capital punishment; rights and the relationship of the individual to society and government.
Typical Criminal Trial Procedures (Video)
This video from LawInfo briefly outlines the criminal trial process.
Constitutional Conversation: 6th Amendment (Video)
In this video from James Madison's Montpelier, three scholars discuss the historical justification for the Sixth Amendment how the right to counsel has changed over the years.
Court Shorts: Jury Service (Video)
This video from the U.S. Courts describes the role of the jury and explains why jury service is important.
Connecticut Death Penalty (Video)
Commentators debate the death penalty.
Do Super-Maximum Security Prisons Constitute Cruel and Unusual Punishment? (Video)
A surprise ruling from the European Court of Human Rights could send five terror suspects to a super-maximum security prison in the United States.
Criminal Justice and a Defendant's Right to a Fair Trial (Video)
A video about rights to a fair trial by Annenberg Media.
Crime and Punishments (Video)
A debate about what constitutes cruel an unusual punishment. From Annenberg Media. Registration and log-in required.
