civil rights

What are civil rights and civil rights violations?
Civil rights are liberties granted by the United States Constitution and federal and California state laws. People have certain fundamental rights that cannot be intruded upon or violated by government without good reason.

In the criminal justice sphere, we are often concerned with the Fourth Amendment constitutional right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. If an officer uses excessive force in making an arrest or searches a home without a valid California search warrant or probable cause, that officer may violate the suspect’s Fourth Amendment rights.

Another important right is the Eighth Amendment constitutional right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. The Eighth Amendment is especially relevant in the context of jail and prison abuse.

Civil rights violations can occur when the rights granted by these important Amendments are violated.6

in reference to: http://www.shouselaw.com/police-misconduct.html (view on Google Sidewiki)