Opinion ID: 852583
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Some Relevant Settled Principles

Text: We think it useful to set out some settled principles of substantive law before addressing these questions. The Supreme Court of the United States has not ruled on the use of a stun belt as a violation of the Federal Constitution, but the Court has given guidance on a number of relevant points. Requiring a defendant to appear in jail garb has long been held to deny due process. Holbrook v. Flynn, 475 U.S. 560, 567, 106 S.Ct. 1340, 89 L.Ed.2d 525 (1986); Estelle v. Williams, 425 U.S. 501, 503, 96 S.Ct. 1691, 48 L.Ed.2d 126 (1976). An objection to jail garb is required before the compulsion required for a due process violation is found. Estelle, 425 U.S. at 512-13, 96 S.Ct. 1691. In short, jail garb is categorically prohibited by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments if the defendant objects. Unlike jail garb, shackling may be imposed, but only if the trial court makes a particularized finding of need in the specific case. This rule has long been in place under the common law. Deck, 544 U.S. at 626-27, 125 S.Ct. 2007; Coates v. State, 487 N.E.2d 167, 169 (Ind.Ct.App.1985). For many years courts have thought this to be a requirement of federal due process. Illinois v. Allen, 397 U.S. 337, 90 S.Ct. 1057, 25 L.Ed.2d 353 (1970); see also Deck, 544 U.S. at 629, 125 S.Ct. 2007. Most recently, this doctrine has been held applicable to the penalty phase as well as the guilt phase of a death penalty trial. Deck, 544 U.S. at 627, 125 S.Ct. 2007. Deck also made clear, if there had been any doubt, that this rule has constitutional dimensions and unnecessary shackling constitutes a denial of due process. Id. at 629, 632, 125 S.Ct. 2007. Jail garb and unnecessary shackling are both inherently prejudicial and, if proper objection is made, require reversal unless the State establishes beyond a reasonable doubt that the [shackling] error complained of did not contribute to the verdict. Id. at 635, 125 S.Ct. 2007 (alteration in original) (quoting Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 24, 87 S.Ct. 824, 17 L.Ed.2d 705 (1967)). As explained in Deck, three reasons underlie the prohibition on unnecessary shackling. First, visible shackling undermines the presumption of innocence and the related fairness of the fact-finding process. Id. at 630, 125 S.Ct. 2007. Second, shackling can interfere with the defendant's ability to communicate with his lawyer and participate in the defense. Id. at 631, 125 S.Ct. 2007. Third, shackles impair the dignity of the judicial process. Id. at 631-32, 125 S.Ct. 2007. We have already noted that Indiana state law no longer permits the use of stun belts in Indiana courts, but that rule had not been announced at the time of Stephenson's trial. The prohibition of stun belts is not based solely on the considerations that underlie the prohibition on jail garb. It is also grounded in the perceived effect on the defendant of the threat of imminent high voltage. It thus is not wholly dependent upon the jury's awareness of the belt, and, like jail garb, is inherently prejudicial. Wrinkles, 749 N.E.2d at 1194.