Opinion ID: 853606
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Standard of Review for Ineffective Assistance

Text: We analyze ineffective assistance of counsel claims under the two-part test announced in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). Benefiel, 716 N.E.2d at 912. To succeed, the petitioner must demonstrate both deficient performance and resulting prejudice. Id. A deficient performance is that which falls below an objective standard of reasonableness. Douglas v. State, 663 N.E.2d 1153 (Ind.1996). Prejudice exists when there is a reasonable probability that the result of the proceeding would have been different but for defense counsel's inadequate representation. Cook v. State, 675 N.E.2d 687, 692 (Ind.1996). Furthermore, counsel's performance is presumed effective, and a petitioner must offer strong and convincing evidence to overcome this presumption. Benefiel, 716 N.E.2d at 912. The standard of review for a claim of ineffective assistance of appellate counsel is the same as for trial counsel. Trueblood v. State, 715 N.E.2d 1242 (Ind.1999). Of course, a capital defendant in this state also receives the protection of Indiana Criminal Rule 24. We are now in the tenth year of the operation of Rule 24. It creates minimum standards for the criminal litigation experience, specialized training, compensation, and caseload of lawyers appointed in capital cases. Both prosecutors and defense counsel agree that Rule 24 ha[s] led to improved representation by defense lawyers in capital cases. Norman Lefstein, Reform of Defense Representation in Capital Cases: The Indiana Experience and Its Implications for the Nation, 29 Ind. L.Rev. 495, 509 (1996). [A] death penalty verdict returned [since the advent of Rule 24 is] more likely to be sustained on appeal, and the appellate court [is] less apt to find that defense counsel was ineffective. Id. at 509. Ben-Yisrayl's counsel were appointed under the requirements of this rule. Compare Ind. Criminal Rule 24 (effective Jan. 1, 1990) with (T.R. at 3, 12) (counsel appointed Mar. 4, 1991). Moreover, for more than half a century, Indiana has offered state-financed legal assistance to prisoners seeking post-conviction relief. Ind.Code Ann. § 33-1-7-1 (West 1996) (office of Public Defender created 1945). Funded at 5.6 million dollars in the current year, this state office employs a substantial contingent of lawyers specializing in capital collateral litigation. These lawyers have funds at their disposal for mitigation specialists, DNA tests, mental health professionals, and the like. It is these lawyers who have brought the present petition for Ben-Yisrayl.