Question

And excessive bail hath been required of persons committed in criminal cases to elude the benefit of the laws made for the liberty of the subjects; And excessive fines have been imposed; And illegal and cruel punishments inflicted. In this excerpt, what is the English Bill of Rights prohibiting?

Answer 1

Cruel and illegal punishment

Answer 2

The English bill of rights is prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment, as well as excessive bail. When the government wanted to keep someone in jail illegally they would declare a huge amount of money for bail which could not be paid. This would give off the illusion that the person could walk out on bail but in reality it was done on purpose to prevent them. Also, cruel and unusual punishment such as torture or similar was common so the bill of rights outlawed it.
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