{"id":30941,"date":"2022-07-27T14:37:12","date_gmt":"2022-07-27T19:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-legal\/constitution\/amendment8\/annotation02.html"},"modified":"2022-07-27T14:37:12","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T19:37:12","slug":"annotation02","status":"publish","type":"constitution","link":"https:\/\/constitution.findlaw.com\/amendment8\/annotation02.html","title":{"rendered":"Eighth Amendment Protection Against Excessive Bail and Fines"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7  fl-block-columns fl-sectionWithSidebar fl-container fl-flex fl-flex-wrap fl-gap30\">\n    \n    <div class=\"fl-page-articles   fl-block-column fl-section-main fl-section-main-full-width\">\n        <h1 class=\"fl-no-margin-top\">Eighth Amendment Protection Against Excessive Bail and Fines<\/h1>\n<section class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline\">\n    <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-content\">\n                    By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team.html\" rel=\"noopener\">FindLaw Staff<\/a> | Legally reviewed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/laura-temme-esq\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Laura Temme, Esq.<\/a>\n                | Last reviewed\n        <time>\n                            July 27, 2022\n                    <\/time>\n    <\/div>\n\n    \n    <details class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle fl-gutenberg-byline-legally-reviewed\">\n        <summary>\n            <i class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n            Legally Reviewed\n        <\/summary>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle-content\">\n            <p><em>This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team.html\" rel=\"noopener\">FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/company-history\/editorial-policy.html\" rel=\"noopener\">our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n\n    <details class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle fl-gutenberg-byline-fast-checked\">\n        <summary>\n            <i class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n            Fact-Checked\n        <\/summary>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle-content\">\n            <p><em>The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/contributing-authors.html\" rel=\"noopener\">contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please <a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/?fli=bylinelink\" rel=\"noopener\">contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n<\/section>\n    <div class=\"fl-callout-text article-blockquote\">\n        <p>In addition to prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment, the Eighth Amendment bans &quot;excessive bail and fines.&quot; But it&#8217;s been up to the courts to decide what this means.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n    <\/div>\n\n<p>In 1791, Congress passed a series of ten amendments to the Constitution known as the Bill of Rights. These amendments include many of the protections we hold most dear, such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and protections&nbsp;for those accused of a crime.<\/p>\r\n<p>The Eighth Amendment addresses several issues related to this last point, specifically what kind of punishments can be handed out. Most people have heard of the protection against &quot;cruel and unusual&quot; punishment, but the Eighth Amendment also prohibits excessive bail and fines.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\r\n<p>\u200b<b>When is bail considered excessive under the 8th Amendment?<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p>Courts are expected to set bail amounts&nbsp;that are &quot;reasonably calculated to ensure the asserted governmental interest.&quot; But, obviously, that&#8217;s open to interpretation. The government interest at issue can be many different things. Is the defendant a flight risk? Is there a chance they&#8217;ll destroy evidence or hurt&nbsp;someone? If the bail amount is more than necessary to prevent one of these harms, it might be excessive under the 8th Amendment.<\/p>\r\n<p><b>Does money bail violate the 8th Amendment?<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p>Some legal scholars argue that the cash bail system unconstitutionally punishes poverty. Under&nbsp;<i><a href=\"https:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/court\/us-supreme-court\/370\/660.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Robinson v. California<\/a><\/i>, the Eighth Amendment prohibits the government from punishing someone based on a &quot;status or condition.&quot; Although the court has not yet extended that ruling to include financial status, there are arguments to be made that money bail unfairly impacts poor defendants.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Learn More<\/h2>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"#history\">Historical Context<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"#bail\">Excessive Bail Doctrine Today<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"#fines\">Excessive Fines\u200b<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2>What the Eighth Amendment Says<\/h2>\r\n<p>&quot;\u200b<i>Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.&quot;<\/i><\/p>\r\n<h2 id=\"history\">What It Means&nbsp;<\/h2>\r\n<p>&quot;\u200bThis traditional right to freedom before conviction permits the unhampered preparation of a defense, and serves to prevent the infliction of punishment prior to conviction. . . . Unless this right to bail before trial is preserved, the presumption of innocence, secured only after centuries of struggle, would lose its meaning.&quot;<sup>1<\/sup><\/p>\r\n<p>&quot;The bail clause was lifted with slight changes from the English Bill of Rights Act. In England that clause has never been thought to accord a right to bail in all cases, but merely to provide that bail shall not be excessive in those cases where it is proper to grant bail. When this clause was carried over into our Bill of Rights, nothing was said that indicated any different concept.&quot;<sup>2<\/sup><\/p>\r\n<p>These two contrasting views of the &quot;excessive bail&quot; provision, expressed by the Court in the same Term, reflect the ambiguity inherent in the phrase and the absence of evidence regarding the intent of those who drafted and who ratified the Eighth Amendment.<sup>3<\/sup><\/p>\r\n<p>The history of the bail controversy in England is crucial to understanding why the ambiguity exists.<sup>4<\/sup>&nbsp;The Statute of Westminster the First of 1275<sup>5<\/sup>&nbsp;set forth a detailed enumeration of those offenses that were bailable and those that were not, and, though supplemented by later statutes, it served for something like five and a half centuries as the basic authority.<sup>6<\/sup>&nbsp;<i>Darnel&#8217;s Case<\/i>,<sup>7<\/sup>&nbsp;in which the judges permitted the continued imprisonment of persons without bail merely upon the order of the King, was one of the moving factors in the enactment of the Petition of Right in 1628.<sup>8<\/sup>&nbsp;The Petition cited the Magna Carta as proscribing the kind of detention that was permitted in&nbsp;<i>Darnel&#8217;s Case<\/i>. The right to bail was again subverted a half-century later by various technical subterfuges by which petitions for&nbsp;habeas corpus&nbsp;could not be presented,<sup>9<\/sup>&nbsp;and Parliament reacted by enacting the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679,<sup>10<\/sup>&nbsp;which established procedures for effectuating release from imprisonment and provided penalties for judges who did not comply with the Act. That avenue closed, the judges then set bail so high that it could not be met, and Parliament responded by including in the Bill of Rights of 1689<sup>11<\/sup>&nbsp;a provision &quot;[t]hat excessive bail ought not to be required.&quot; This language, along with essentially the rest of the present Eighth Amendment, was included within the Virginia Declaration of Rights,<sup>12<\/sup>&nbsp;was picked up in the Virginia recommendations for inclusion in a federal bill of rights by the state ratifying convention,<sup>13<\/sup>&nbsp;and was introduced verbatim by Madison in the House of Representatives.<sup>14<\/sup><\/p>\r\n<p>Thus, in England, the right to bail generally was conferred by the basic 1275 statute, as supplemented; the procedure for assuring access to the right was conferred by the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679; and protection against abridgement through the fixing of excessive bail was conferred by the Bill of Rights of 1689. In the United States, the Constitution protected&nbsp;habeas corpus&nbsp;in Article 1, \u00a7 9, but did not confer a right to bail. The question is, therefore, whether the First Congress in proposing the Bill of Rights knowingly sought to curtail excessive bail without guaranteeing a right to bail, or whether the phrase &quot;excessive bail&quot; was meant to be a shorthand expression of both rights.<\/p>\r\n<p>Compounding the ambiguity is a distinctive trend in the United States that had its origin in a provision of the Massachusetts Body of Liberties of 1641<sup>15<\/sup>&nbsp;guaranteeing bail to every accused person except those charged with a capital crime or contempt in open court. Copied in several state constitutions,<sup>16<\/sup>&nbsp;this guarantee was contained in the Northwest Ordinance in 1787,<sup>17<\/sup>&nbsp;along with a guarantee of moderate fines and against cruel and unusual punishments and was inserted in the Judiciary Act of 1789,<sup>18<\/sup>&nbsp;enacted contemporaneously with the passage through Congress of the Bill of Rights. It appears, therefore, that Congress was aware in 1789 that certain language conveyed a right to bail and that other language merely protected against one means by which a pre-existing right to bail could be abridged.<\/p>\r\n<h2 id=\"bail\">Excessive Bail Doctrine Today<\/h2>\r\n<p>\u200bThe Court first tested and upheld under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment a state statute providing for preventive detention of juveniles.<sup>19<\/sup>&nbsp;Then, in&nbsp;<i><a href=\"https:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/court\/us-supreme-court\/481\/739.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">United States v. Salerno<\/a><\/i>,<sup>20<\/sup>&nbsp;the Court upheld the application of preventive detention provisions of the Bail Reform Act of 1984 against facial challenge under the Eighth Amendment. The function of bail, the Court explained, is limited neither to preventing flight of the defendant prior to trial nor to safeguarding a court&#8217;s role in adjudicating guilt or innocence:&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>&quot;[W]e reject the proposition that the Eighth Amendment categorically prohibits the government from pursuing other admittedly compelling interests through regulation of pretrial release.&quot;<sup>21<\/sup><\/p>\r\n<p>Instead, &quot;[t]he only arguable substantive limitation of the Bail Clause is that the government&#8217;s proposed conditions of release or detention not be &#8216;excessive&#8217; in light of the perceived evil.&quot;<sup>22<\/sup><\/p>\r\n<p>&quot;[D]etention prior to trial of arrestees charged with serious felonies who are found after an adversary hearing to pose a threat to the safety of individuals or to the community which no condition of release can dispel&quot; satisfies this requirement.<sup>23<\/sup><\/p>\r\n<p>Bail is &quot;excessive&quot; in violation of the Eighth Amendment when it is set at a figure higher than an amount reasonably calculated to ensure the asserted governmental interest.<sup>24<\/sup>&nbsp;If the only asserted interest is to guarantee that the accused will stand trial and submit to sentence if found guilty, then &quot;bail must be set by a court at a sum designed to ensure that goal, and no more.&quot;<sup>25<\/sup>&nbsp;To challenge bail as excessive, one must move for a reduction, and, if that motion is denied, appeal to the Court of Appeals, and, if unsuccessful, appeal to the Supreme Court Justice sitting for that circuit.<sup>26<\/sup>&nbsp;The Amendment is apparently inapplicable to postconviction release pending appeal, but the practice has apparently been to grant such releases.<sup>27<\/sup><\/p>\r\n<h2 id=\"fines\">Excessive Fines<\/h2>\r\n<p>\u200bFor years the Supreme Court had little to say about excessive fines. In an early case, it held that it had no appellate jurisdiction to revise the sentence of an inferior court, even though the excessiveness of the fines was apparent on the face of the record.<sup>28<\/sup>&nbsp;Justice Brandeis once contended in dissent that the denial of second-class mailing privileges to a newspaper on the basis of its past conduct because it imposed additional mailing costs which grew day by day, amounted to an unlimited fine that was an &quot;unusual&quot; and &quot;unprecedented&quot; punishment proscribed by the Eighth Amendment.<sup>29<\/sup><\/p>\r\n<p>The Court has elected to deal with the issue of fines levied upon indigents, resulting in imprisonment upon the inability to pay, in terms of the Equal Protection Clause,<sup>30<\/sup>&nbsp;thus obviating any necessity to develop the meaning of &quot;excessive fines&quot; in relation to ability to pay. The Court has held the clause inapplicable to civil jury awards of punitive damages in cases between private parties, &quot;when the government neither has prosecuted the action nor has any right to receive a share of the damages awarded.&quot;<sup>31<\/sup><\/p>\r\n<p>The Court based this conclusion on a review of the history and purposes of the Excessive Fines Clause. At the time the Eighth Amendment was adopted, the Court noted, &quot;the word &#8216;fine&#8217; was understood to mean a payment to a sovereign as punishment for some offense.&quot;<sup>32<\/sup>&nbsp;The Eighth Amendment itself, as were antecedents of the clause in the Virginia Declaration of Rights and in the English Bill of Rights of 1689, &quot;clearly was adopted with the particular intent of placing limits on the powers of the new government.&quot;<sup>33<\/sup>&nbsp;Therefore, while leaving open the issues of whether the clause has any applicability to civil penalties or to&nbsp;qui tam&nbsp;actions, the Court determined that &quot;the Excessive Fines Clause was intended to limit only those fines directly imposed by, and payable to, the government.&quot;<sup>34<\/sup>&nbsp;The Court has held, however, that the Excessive Fines Clause can be applied in civil forfeiture cases.<sup>35<\/sup><\/p>\r\n<p>In 1998, however, the Court injected vitality into the strictures of the clause. &quot;The touchstone of the constitutional inquiry under the Excessive Fines Clause is the principle of proportionality: The amount of the forfeiture must bear some relationship to the gravity of the offense that it is designed to punish.&quot;<sup>36<\/sup><\/p>\r\n<p>In&nbsp;<i><a href=\"https:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/court\/us-supreme-court\/524\/321.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">United States v. Bajakajian<\/a><\/i>,<sup>37<\/sup>&nbsp;the government sought to require that a criminal defendant charged with violating federal reporting requirements regarding the transportation of more than $10,000 in currency out of the country forfeit the currency involved, which totaled $357,144. The Court held that the forfeiture<sup>38<\/sup>&nbsp;in this particular case violated the Excessive Fines Clause because the amount forfeited was &quot;grossly disproportionate to the gravity of defendant&#8217;s offense.&quot;<sup>39<\/sup>&nbsp;In determining proportionality, the Court did not limit itself to a comparison of the fine amount to the proven offense, but it also considered the particular facts of the case, the character of the defendant, and the harm caused by the offense.<sup>40<\/sup><\/p>\r\n<h3>Footnotes<\/h3>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/court\/us-supreme-court\/342\/1.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Stack v. Boyle, 342 U.S. 1, 4 (1951)<\/a>. Note that, in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/court\/us-supreme-court\/441\/520.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Bell v. Wolfish, 441 U.S. 520, 533 (1979)<\/a>, the Court enunciated a narrower view of the presumption of innocence, describing it as a doctrine that allocates the burden of proof in criminal trials, and denying that it has any application to a determination of the rights of a pretrial detainee during confinement before his trial has even begun.<\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/court\/us-supreme-court\/342\/524.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Carlson v. Landon, 342 U.S. 524, 545 (1952)<\/a>. Justice Black in dissent accused the Court of reducing the provision below the level of a pious admonition by saying in effect that the Amendment does no more than protect a right to bail which Congress can grant and which Congress can take away.&nbsp;<i>Id.<\/i>&nbsp;at 556.<\/li>\r\n<li>The only recorded comment of a Member of Congress during debate on adoption of the excessive bail provision was that of Mr. Livermore:&nbsp;&quot;The clause seems to express a great deal of humanity, on which account I have no objection to it; but as it seems to have no meaning in it, I do not think it necessary. What is meant by the terms excessive bail? Who are to be judges?&quot;&nbsp;1&nbsp;Annals of Congress&nbsp;754 (1789).<\/li>\r\n<li>Still the best and most comprehensive treatment is&nbsp;Foote,&nbsp;<i>The Coming Constitutional Crisis in Bail: I<\/i>, 113&nbsp;U. Pa. L. Rev.&nbsp;959, 965\u201389 (1965),&nbsp;<i>reprinted in<\/i>&nbsp;C. Foote,&nbsp;Studies on Bail&nbsp;181, 187\u2013211 (1966).<\/li>\r\n<li>3 Edw. 1, ch. 12.<\/li>\r\n<li>1&nbsp;J. Stephen,&nbsp;A History of the Criminal Law of England&nbsp;233-43 (1833). The statute is summarized at pp. 234-35.<\/li>\r\n<li>3 How. St. Tr. 1 (1627).<\/li>\r\n<li>3 Charles 1, ch. 1. Debate on the Petition, as precipitated by&nbsp;<i>Darnel&#8217;s Case<\/i>, is reported in 3 How. St. Tr. 59 (1628). Coke especially tied the requirement that imprisonment be pursuant to a lawful cause reportable on&nbsp;habeas corpus&nbsp;to effectuation of the right to bail.&nbsp;<i>Id.<\/i>&nbsp;at 69.<\/li>\r\n<li>Jenkes&#8217; Case,&nbsp;6 How. St. Tr. 1189, 36 Eng. Rep. 518 (1676).<\/li>\r\n<li>31 Charles 2, ch. 2. The text is in&nbsp;2&nbsp;Documents on FundamentalHuman Rights&nbsp;327\u2013340 (Z. Chafee ed., 1951).<\/li>\r\n<li>I W. &amp; M. 2, ch. 2, clause 10.<\/li>\r\n<li>7&nbsp;F. Thorpe,&nbsp;<i>The Federal and State Constitutions<\/i>,&nbsp;H. R. Doc. No. 357, 59th Cong., 2d Sess.&nbsp;3813 (1909). Sec. 9. That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.<\/li>\r\n<li>3&nbsp;J. Elliot,&nbsp;The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Constitution&nbsp;658 (2d ed. 1836).<\/li>\r\n<li>1&nbsp;Annals of Congress&nbsp;438 (1789).<\/li>\r\n<li>&quot;No mans person shall be restrained or imprisoned by any Authority what so ever, before the law hath sentenced him thereto, If he can put in sufficient securtie, bayle, or mainprise, for his appearance, and good behavior in the meane time, unlesse it be in Crimes Capitall, and Contempts in open Court, and in such cases where some expresse act of Court doth allow it.&quot;&nbsp;<i>Reprinted in<\/i>&nbsp;I&nbsp;Documents on Fundamental Human Rights&nbsp;79, 82 (Z. Chafee, ed., 1951).<\/li>\r\n<li>That all prisoners shall be bailable by sufficient sureties, unless for capital offences, where the proof is evident, or the presumption great.&nbsp;5&nbsp;F. Thorpe,&nbsp;<i>The Federal and State Constitutions<\/i>,&nbsp;H. Doc. No. 357, 59th Congress, 2d Sess. 3061 (1909) (Pennsylvania, 1682). The 1776 Pennsylvania Constitution contained the same clause in section 28, and in section 29 was a clause guaranteeing against excessive bail.&nbsp;<i>Id.<\/i>&nbsp;at 3089.<\/li>\r\n<li>All persons shall be bailable, unless for capital offences, where the proof shall be evident, or the presumption great. All fines shall be moderate; and no cruel or unusual punishments shall be inflicted.&nbsp;Art. II, 32&nbsp;Journals of the Continental Congress&nbsp;334 (1787),&nbsp;<i>reprinted in<\/i>&nbsp;1 Stat. 52 n.<\/li>\r\n<li>And upon all arrests in criminal cases, bail shall be admitted, except where the punishment may be death, in which case it shall not be admitted but by the supreme or a circuit court, or by a justice of the supreme court, or a judge of a district court, who shall exercise their discretion herein . . . . 1 Stat. 91 \u00a7 33 (1789).<\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/court\/us-supreme-court\/467\/253.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Schall v. Martin,&nbsp;467 U.S. 253 (1984)<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<li>481 U.S. 739 (1987).<\/li>\r\n<li>481 U.S. at 753.<\/li>\r\n<li>481 U.S. at 754.<\/li>\r\n<li>481 U.S. at 755. The Court also ruled that there was no violation of due process, the governmental objective being legitimate and there being a number of procedural safeguards (detention applies only to serious crimes, the arrestee is entitled to a prompt hearing, the length of detention is limited, and detainees must be housed apart from criminals).<\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/court\/us-supreme-court\/342\/1.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Stack v. Boyle,&nbsp;342 U.S. 1, 4\u20136 (1951)<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/court\/us-supreme-court\/481\/739.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">United States v. Salerno,&nbsp;481 U.S. at 754.<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/court\/us-supreme-court\/342\/1.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Stack v. Boyle,&nbsp;342 U.S. at 6\u20137.<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/court\/us-supreme-court\/156\/277.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Hudson v. Parker,&nbsp;156 U.S.&nbsp;277 (1895)<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/court\/us-supreme-court\/32\/568.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Ex parte Watkins,&nbsp;32 U.S. (7 Pet.) 568, 574 (1833)<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/court\/us-supreme-court\/255\/407.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Milwaukee Pub. Co. v. Burleson,&nbsp;255 U.S. 407, 435 (1921)<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/court\/us-supreme-court\/401\/395.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Tate v. Short,&nbsp;401 U.S. 395 (1971)<\/a>;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/court\/us-supreme-court\/399\/235.html\" rel=\"noopener\">Williams v. Illinois,&nbsp;399 U.S. 235 (1970)<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/court\/us-supreme-court\/492\/257.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Browning-Ferris Industries v. Kelco Disposal, Inc.,&nbsp;492 U.S. 257 (1989)<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<li>492 U.S. at 265.<\/li>\r\n<li>492 U.S. at 266.<\/li>\r\n<li>492 U.S. at 268.<\/li>\r\n<li>In&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/court\/us-supreme-court\/509\/602.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Austin v. United States,&nbsp;509 U.S. 602 (1993)<\/a>, the Court noted that the application of the Excessive Fines Clause to civil forfeiture did not depend on whether it was a civil or criminal procedure, but rather on whether the forfeiture could be seen as punishment. The Court was apparently willing to consider any number of factors in making this evaluation; civil forfeiture was found to be at least partially intended as punishment, and thus limited by the clause, based on its common law roots, its focus on culpability, and various indications in the legislative histories of its more recent incarnations.<\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/caselaw.findlaw.com\/court\/us-supreme-court\/524\/321.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">United States v. Bajakajian,&nbsp;524 U.S. 321, 334 (1998)<\/a>.<\/li>\r\n<li>524 U.S. 321 (1998).<\/li>\r\n<li>The Court held that a criminal forfeiture, which is imposed at the time of sentencing, should be considered a fine, because it serves as a punishment for the underlying crime.&nbsp;524 U.S. at 328. The Court distinguished this from civil forfeiture, which, as an&nbsp;in rem&nbsp;proceeding against property, would generally not function as a punishment of the criminal defendant.&nbsp;524 U.S. at 330\u201332.<\/li>\r\n<li>524 U.S. at 334.<\/li>\r\n<li>In&nbsp;<i>Bajakajian<\/i>, the lower court found that the currency in question was not derived from illegal activities, and that the defendant, who had grown up a member of the Armenian minority in Syria, had failed to report the currency out of distrust of the government.&nbsp;524 U.S. at 325\u201326. The Court found it relevant that the defendant did not appear to be among the class of persons for whom the statute was designed;&nbsp;<i>i.e.<\/i>, a money launderer or tax evader, and that the harm to the government from the defendant&#8217;s failure to report the currency was minimal.&nbsp;524 U.S. at 338.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<div class=\"was-this-helpful\">\n    <div\n            class=\"was-this-helpful__question-container\"\n            aria-labelledby=\"was-this-helpful__question\"\n            role=\"group\"\n    >\n        <span\n                id=\"was-this-helpful__question\"\n                class=\"was-this-helpful__question fl-text-lg-bold\"\n        >Was this helpful?<\/span>\n        <button\n                class=\"was-this-helpful__button fl-text-sm\"\n                aria-label=\"Yes\"\n                value=\"yes\"\n        >\n            <span class=\"was-this-helpful__button-text fl-text-bold\">Yes<\/span>\n            <i class=\"was-this-helpful__button-icon\">\n                <svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 22 22\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n                    <g id=\"thumbs-up\" clip-path=\"url(#clip0_604_3418)\">\n                        <path id=\"Vector\"\n                              d=\"M6 21H3C2.46957 21 1.96086 20.7893 1.58579 20.4142C1.21071 20.0391 1 19.5304 1 19V12C1 11.4696 1.21071 10.9609 1.58579 10.5858C1.96086 10.2107 2.46957 10 3 10H6M13 8V4C13 3.20435 12.6839 2.44129 12.1213 1.87868C11.5587 1.31607 10.7956 1 10 1L6 10V21H17.28C17.7623 21.0055 18.2304 20.8364 18.5979 20.524C18.9654 20.2116 19.2077 19.7769 19.28 19.3L20.66 10.3C20.7035 10.0134 20.6842 9.72068 20.6033 9.44225C20.5225 9.16382 20.3821 8.90629 20.1919 8.68751C20.0016 8.46873 19.7661 8.29393 19.5016 8.17522C19.2371 8.0565 18.9499 7.99672 18.66 8H13Z\"\n                              stroke=\"#666666\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\n                              stroke-linejoin=\"round\"><\/path>\n                    <\/g>\n                    <defs>\n                        <clipPath id=\"clip0_604_3418\">\n                            <rect width=\"22\" height=\"22\" fill=\"white\"><\/rect>\n                        <\/clipPath>\n                    <\/defs>\n                <\/svg>\n            <\/i>\n        <\/button>\n        <button\n                class=\"was-this-helpful__button fl-text-sm\"\n                aria-label=\"No\"\n                value=\"no\"\n        >\n            <span class=\"was-this-helpful__button-text fl-text-bold\">No<\/span>\n            <i class=\"was-this-helpful__button-icon\">\n                <svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 22 22\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n                    <g id=\"thumbs-down\" clip-path=\"url(#clip0_604_3423)\">\n                        <path id=\"Vector\"\n                              d=\"M16 0.999995H18.67C19.236 0.989986 19.7859 1.18813 20.2154 1.55681C20.645 1.9255 20.9242 2.43905 21 3V10C20.9242 10.5609 20.645 11.0745 20.2154 11.4432C19.7859 11.8119 19.236 12.01 18.67 12H16M9.00003 14V18C9.00003 18.7956 9.3161 19.5587 9.87871 20.1213C10.4413 20.6839 11.2044 21 12 21L16 12V0.999995H4.72003C4.2377 0.994543 3.76965 1.16359 3.40212 1.47599C3.0346 1.78839 2.79235 2.22309 2.72003 2.7L1.34003 11.7C1.29652 11.9866 1.31586 12.2793 1.39669 12.5577C1.47753 12.8362 1.61793 13.0937 1.80817 13.3125C1.99842 13.5313 2.23395 13.7061 2.49846 13.8248C2.76297 13.9435 3.05012 14.0033 3.34003 14H9.00003Z\"\n                              stroke=\"#666666\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\"\/>\n                    <\/g>\n                    <defs>\n                        <clipPath id=\"clip0_604_3423\">\n                            <rect width=\"22\" height=\"22\" fill=\"white\"\/>\n                        <\/clipPath>\n                    <\/defs>\n                <\/svg>\n            <\/i>\n        <\/button>\n    <\/div>\n    <span class=\"was-this-helpful__taken-action fl-text-sm-bold\"><\/span>\n    <div class=\"was-this-helpful__feedback-container\">\n        <div class=\"was-this-helpful__choose-option-message\" role=\"status\">\n            <p class=\"was-this-helpful__choose-option-message-text\"><\/p>\n        <\/div>\n        <form class=\"was-this-helpful__feedback-form\">\n            <div class=\"was-this-helpful__feedback was-this-helpful__feedback--positive\">\n                <fieldset>\n                    <legend class=\"was-this-helpful__feedback-form-title\" tabindex=\"0\">Why was this helpful?<\/legend>\n                    <div class=\"fl-radio-button-field fl-flex was-this-helpful__feedback-form-title\">\n                        <input\n                                id=\"was-this-helpful__radio-button--understandable\"\n                                class=\"fl-radio-button-field-input\"\n                                type=\"radio\"\n                                name=\"positive-feedback\"\n                                value=\"Easy to understand\"\n                        >\n                        <label\n                                class=\"fl-radio-button-field-label fl-text-sm was-this-helpful__radio-label\"\n                                for=\"was-this-helpful__radio-button--understandable\"\n                        >Easy to understand<\/label>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"fl-radio-button-field fl-flex was-this-helpful__feedback-form-title\">\n                        <input\n                                id=\"was-this-helpful__radio-button--solved-problem\"\n                                class=\"fl-radio-button-field-input\"\n                                type=\"radio\"\n                                name=\"positive-feedback\"\n                                value=\"Solved my problem\"\n                        >\n                        <label\n                                class=\"fl-radio-button-field-label fl-text-sm was-this-helpful__radio-label\"\n                                for=\"was-this-helpful__radio-button--solved-problem\"\n                        >Solved my problem<\/label>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"fl-radio-button-field fl-flex was-this-helpful__feedback-form-title\">\n                        <input\n                                id=\"was-this-helpful__radio-button--other\"\n                                class=\"fl-radio-button-field-input\"\n                                type=\"radio\"\n                                name=\"positive-feedback\"\n                                value=\"Other\"\n                        >\n                        <label\n                                class=\"fl-radio-button-field-label fl-text-sm was-this-helpful__radio-label\"\n                                for=\"was-this-helpful__radio-button--other\"\n                        >Other<\/label>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/fieldset>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"was-this-helpful__feedback was-this-helpful__feedback--negative\">\n                <fieldset>\n                    <legend class=\"was-this-helpful__feedback-form-title\" tabindex=\"0\">Why was this not helpful?<\/legend>\n                    <div class=\"was-this-helpful__choose-option-message\" role=\"status\">\n                        <p class=\"was-this-helpful__choose-option-message-text\"><\/p>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"fl-radio-button-field fl-flex was-this-helpful__feedback-form-title\">\n                        <input\n                                id=\"was-this-helpful__radio-button--missing-info\"\n                                class=\"fl-radio-button-field-input\"\n                                type=\"radio\"\n                                name=\"negative-feedback\"\n                                value=\"Missing Information\"\n                        >\n                        <label\n                                class=\"fl-radio-button-field-label fl-text-sm was-this-helpful__radio-label\"\n                                for=\"was-this-helpful__radio-button--missing-info\"\n                        >Missing the information I need<\/label>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"fl-radio-button-field fl-flex was-this-helpful__feedback-form-title\">\n                        <input\n                                id=\"was-this-helpful__radio-button--complicated\"\n                                class=\"fl-radio-button-field-input\"\n                                type=\"radio\"\n                                name=\"negative-feedback\"\n                                value=\"Too complicated\"\n                        >\n                        <label\n                                class=\"fl-radio-button-field-label fl-text-sm was-this-helpful__radio-label\"\n                                for=\"was-this-helpful__radio-button--complicated\"\n                        >Too complicated \/ too many steps<\/label>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"fl-radio-button-field fl-flex was-this-helpful__feedback-form-title\">\n                        <input\n                                id=\"was-this-helpful__radio-button--dated\"\n                                class=\"fl-radio-button-field-input\"\n                                type=\"radio\"\n                                name=\"negative-feedback\"\n                                value=\"Out of date\"\n                        >\n                        <label\n                                class=\"fl-radio-button-field-label fl-text-sm was-this-helpful__radio-label\"\n                                for=\"was-this-helpful__radio-button--dated\"\n                        >Out of date<\/label>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"fl-radio-button-field fl-flex was-this-helpful__feedback-form-title\">\n                        <input\n                                id=\"was-this-helpful__radio-button--negative-other\"\n                                class=\"fl-radio-button-field-input\"\n                                type=\"radio\"\n                                name=\"negative-feedback\"\n                                value=\"Other\"\n                        >\n                        <label\n                                class=\"fl-radio-button-field-label fl-text-sm was-this-helpful__radio-label\"\n                                for=\"was-this-helpful__radio-button--negative-other\"\n                        >Other<\/label>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/fieldset>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"was-this-helpful__form-buttons-container\">\n                <button\n                    class=\"was-this-helpful__feedback-button was-this-helpful__feedback-button--positive at-feedback-submit fl-button secondary\"\n                    type=\"submit\"\n                >\n                    <span class=\"fl-button-content\">Submit<\/span>\n                    <i\n                        class=\"fa fa-angle-right medium\"\n                        aria-hidden=\"true\"\n                    ><\/i>\n                <\/button>\n                <button\n                    class=\"was-this-helpful__feedback-button was-this-helpful__feedback-button--cancel fl-button primary disabled\"\n                    type=\"reset\"\n                >\n                    <span class=\"fl-button-content\">Cancel<\/span>\n                    <i\n                        class=\"fa fa-times-circle medium\"\n                        aria-hidden=\"true\"\n                    ><\/i>\n                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/form>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"was-this-helpful__thank-you-message\" role=\"status\">\n        <i class=\"was-this-helpful__thank-you-message-icon fa fa-check\"><\/i>\n        <p class=\"was-this-helpful__thank-you-message-text\" aria-live=\"polite\"><\/p>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"fl-block-column fl-section-sidebar\">\n        \n                        \n\n<div class=\"generalCardContainer\">\n            \n<div\n    class=\"fl-image-card fl-image-card--no-max-width fl-image-card--no-min-height fl-card-with-children fl-latl-card fl-image-card-title-on-image fl-flex fl-flex-column\"\n>\n                    <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/constitution.findlaw.com\">\n\n            <div class=\"fl-image-card-image-wrapper fl-image-card-image-wrapper-default\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\n                     src=\"https://constitution.findlaw.com/static/c/images\/images\/w_1200,c_limit,dpr_auto\/f_auto,q_auto:eco\/v1750679574\/ability-legal\/wp-prod\/general-components-hero-lp-constitution-hero-banner\/general-components-hero-lp-constitution-hero-banner.jpg?_i=AA\"\n                     alt=\"\"\n                ><\/img>\n                                    <span class=\"fl-eyebrow fl-image-card-eyebrow\">U.S. Constitution<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/a>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-image-card-content fl-flex-basis-100\">\n                    <h2>More On the Constitution<\/h2>\n<p>Learn about the most important legal document in the United States.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/constitution.findlaw.com\/\">Read more &gt;<\/a><\/p>\n\n            <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n<div class=\"email-subscription fl-mb30\">\n    <div class=\"email-subscription-header\">\n        <div class=\"email-subscription-header-content\">\n            <h3 class=\"fl-callout-sm fl-no-margin\">Stay Up-to-Date With How the Law Affects Your Life<\/h3>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"email-subscription-header-image fl-flex fl-items-end\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\"\n                src=\"https://constitution.findlaw.com/static/c/images\/images\/w_1200,c_limit,dpr_auto\/f_auto,q_auto:eco\/v1737476907\/Image-subscribeModule_zjhmpv\/Image-subscribeModule_zjhmpv.png?_i=AA\"\n                alt=\"\"\n                loading=\"lazy\"\n            \/>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"email-subscription-content fl-flex fl-flex-wrap\">\n        <div class=\"email-subscription-content-text fl-mb25\">\n            <h4 class=\"fl-no-margin\">Enter your email address to subscribe:<\/h4>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <form class=\"email-subscription-content-form\">\n            <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distributionList\" value=\"lp\" \/>\n            <label for=\"email-subscription-content-form-group-input\" class=\"fl-text-sm-bold\">Email (Required)<\/label>\n            <div class=\"email-subscription-content-form-group\">\n                <input id=\"email-subscription-content-form-group-input\" name=\"email\" autocomplete=\"email\"\/>\n                <button type=\"submit\" aria-label=\"Submit\">\n                    <i class=\"fa fa-angle-right\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n            <p class=\"email-subscription-content-form-success subscribe-success-message fl-text-sm-bold\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"status\">Thank you for subscribing!<\/p>\n            <p class=\"email-subscription-content-form-error subscribe-error-message fl-text-sm-bold\" role=\"alert\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/p>\n\n            <div id=\"email-subscription-content-form-recaptcha\" class=\"email-subscription-content-form-recaptcha subscribe-recaptcha\"\n                data-sitekey=\"0x4AAAAAAABGBEkK9kEeKxO-\"><\/div>\n        <\/form>\n\n        <div class=\"email-subscription-content-footer fl-text-sm\">\n            <p><a href=\"https:\/\/newsletters.findlaw.com\" rel=\"noopener\">Learn more about FindLaw\u2019s newsletters<\/a>, including our terms of use and privacy policy.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"general-list\">\n    <h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n    <ul class=\"fl-list fl-no-margin\">\n                                    <li class=\"fl-list-item fl-flex\">\n                    <i class=\"fa fa-angle-right medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n                    <a class=\"fl-list-item-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-procedure\/bail-hearing-procedures.html\" rel=\"noopener\">\n                        Bail Hearing Procedures\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/li>\n                                                <li class=\"fl-list-item fl-flex\">\n                    <i class=\"fa fa-angle-right medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n                    <a class=\"fl-list-item-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-procedure\/alternative-sentences.html\" rel=\"noopener\">\n                        Alternative Sentences\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/li>\n                                                <li class=\"fl-list-item fl-flex\">\n                    <i class=\"fa fa-angle-right medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n                    <a class=\"fl-list-item-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-procedure\/fines.html\" rel=\"noopener\">\n                        Criminal Fines\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/li>\n                        <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"popularDirectory\">\n        <div class=\"general-popular-directory \">\n            <div class=\"general-popular-directory-title\">\n                <h3>Popular Directory Searches<\/h3>\n            <\/div>\n            <ul>\n                                    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/discrimination\/?fli=dcta\" rel=\"noopener\">Criminal Defense<\/a><\/li>\n                                    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/dui-dwi\/?fli=\" rel=\"noopener\">DUI and DWI<\/a><\/li>\n                                    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/constitutional-law\/?fli=dcta\" rel=\"noopener\">Constitutional Law<\/a><\/li>\n                                    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/civil-rights\/?fli=dcta\" rel=\"noopener\">Civil Rights<\/a><\/li>\n                                    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/discrimination\/?fli=dcta\" rel=\"noopener\">Discrimination<\/a><\/li>\n                            <\/ul>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"parent":30939,"menu_order":0,"template":"app\/Http\/Controllers\/Templates\/ArticlePageController.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false},"class_list":["post-30941","constitution","type-constitution","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/constitution.findlaw.com\/legal-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/constitution\/30941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/constitution.findlaw.com\/legal-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/constitution"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/constitution.findlaw.com\/legal-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/constitution"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/constitution.findlaw.com\/legal-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/constitution\/30939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/constitution.findlaw.com\/legal-api\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}