Opinion ID: 2023647
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Constitutionality of Insanity Statute

Text: Baird's conduct, as set forth in detail in his direct appeal, evidenced a clear understanding of the nature of his actions and efforts to deceive others to implement them. Baird, 604 N.E.2d at 1175-76. Nonetheless, Baird contends that the Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution as well as Article 1, §§ 12 and 13 of the Indiana Constitution establish a defense of insanity as a matter of constitutional law and that his delusions meet the requirements of the constitutionally mandated defense. More specifically, he contends that Indiana's statutory definition of insanity, IND.CODE § 35-41-3-6 (1993), is unconstitutional because it fails to define volitionally impaired defendantsor those who acted in accordance with an irresistible impulseas insane. Indiana's statute, since 1984, has had no such definition of insanity. [3] Because Indiana's definition of insanity is similar in this respect to the federal definition and that of many states, Baird's argument is in effect a challenge to the constitutionality of all statutes that omit irresistible impulse as a form of insanity defense. The postconviction court concluded that Baird's unconstitutionality argument was barred by res judicata because Baird had raised the issue and lost on direct appeal. On direct appeal, we dealt with a different constitutional argument and held that the insanity statute did not unconstitutionally shift the burden of proof of mens rea to the defendant. Baird, 604 N.E.2d at 1177-78. Also on direct appeal, Baird argued that evidence of irresistible impulse provided a factual basis that was sufficient to require the State to prove that Baird acted voluntarily pursuant to the statutory voluntary act requirement, Indiana Code § 35-41-2-1(a). Id. at 1176-77. Although these claims share Baird's current concern about the voluntariness of his action, his current challenge is substantively different from either of these two claims. In this postconviction proceeding, he directly attacks the validity of the insanity definition itself. His argument is therefore not barred by res judicata because it is not a duplicate of any issue he raised on direct appeal. However, Baird's latest constitutional argument was available on direct appeal. Accordingly, for purposes of postconviction review, the issue is waived. Weatherford v. State, 619 N.E.2d 915, 917 (Ind.1993) (issues which were or could have been raised on direct appeal are not available for review in postconviction proceedings). [4]