A Tarrant County, Texas, Judge Allegedly Punished a Defendant Using Electric Shocks in the Courtroom
In Tarrant County, Texas, a State District Judge allegedly instructed a bailiff to punish an allegedly obstinate defendant using electric shocks on three separate occasions. The alleged offender was convicted, but that 2014 conviction was overturned by the Texas Eighth Court of Appeals in El Paso on February 28, 2018. The ruling specified that judges cannot shock defendants who fail to abide by the court’s rules of decorum or who refuse to answer questions. A stun belt that sends 50,000 volts of electricity into a person is the device that was repeatedly used. A new trial has been ordered.
The defendant who was on trial claimed that he was afraid to return to the courtroom, after enduring shocks with the stun belt. He did not attend his trial, after being shocked. The jury found him guilty. The conviction was appealed on the claim that the defendant’s constitutional rights were violated when he was shocked three separate times for refusing to answer questions while, at the same time, showing no evidence of being a flight risk or of becoming violent.
Justice Yvonne T. Rodriguez spoke about the actions of the judge who allegedly had the defendant shocked. She said the stun belt is intended to be used in order to ensure physical safety. Its purpose is not to punish a defendant who doesn’t obey the whims of a judge.
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