. This is our only remaining safe haven in the Billof Rights.Amendment VIIIExcessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, norcruel and unusual punishments inflicted.EXCESSIVE BAIL AND FINES: Tallahatchie County in Mississippi charges tendollars a day to each person who spends time in the jail, regardless of thelength of stay or the outcome of their trial. This means innocent peopleare forced to pay. Marvin Willis was stuck in jail for 90 days trying toraise $2,500 bail on an assault charge. But after he made that bail, he waskept imprisoned because he could not pay the $900 rent Tallahatchiedemanded. Nine former inmates are suing the county for this practice.CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENTS: House Resolution 4079 sticks its nose inhere too: "... a Federal court shall not hold prison or jail crowdingunconstitutional under the eighth amendment except to the extent that anindividual plaintiff inmate proves that the crowding causes the inflictionof cruel and unusual punishment of that inmate."CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENTS: A life sentence for selling a quarter of agram of cocaine for $20 -- that is what Ricky Isom was sentenced to inFebruary in Cobb County, Georgia. It was Isom's second conviction in twoyears, and state law imposes a mandatory sentence. Even the judgepronouncing the sentence thinks it is cruel; Judge Tom Cauthorn expressedgrave reservations before sentencing Isom and Douglas Rucks (convicted ofselling 3.5 grams of cocaine in a separate but similar case). JudgeCauthorn called the sentences "Draconian."Amendment IXThe enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not beconstrued to deny or disparage others retained by the people.OTHER RIGHTS RETAINED BY THE PEOPLE: This amendment is so weak today that Iwill ask not what infringements there are on it but rather what exercise ofit exists at all? What law can you appeal to a court to find you not guiltyof violating because the law denies a right reta...
