What does the Fourth Amendment protect individuals from?

The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution is a critical piece of the Bill of Rights that specifically protects individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. This protection is aimed at ensuring a person's right to privacy and security in their personal property, homes, and effects.

The Fourth Amendment requires law enforcement to have probable cause and, in many cases, a warrant before conducting searches or making arrests. This legal framework is designed to safeguard citizens against arbitrary intrusions and to maintain the balance between individual rights and governmental power.

While the other options address important rights and protections in different contexts—such as protecting against excessive fines and cruel punishment, preventing involuntary servitude, and ensuring fairness in civil matters—they fall under different amendments or areas of law. Thus, they do not pertain to the specific protections offered by the Fourth Amendment.