The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishments. The amendment was added to the Constitution in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights. The Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause is the most important and controversial part of the Eighth Amendment. The clause prohibits "barbaric" methods of punishment, and if the federal government tried to bring back such methods of punishment, it would violate the Eighth Amendment. The Supreme Court has been asked to consider what constitutes a cruel or unusual punishment, and challenges to statutes on Eighth Amendment grounds are plentiful. The amendment provides three essential protections for those accused of a crime, on top of those found in the Fifth and Sixth Amendments.