- SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A California judge who ordered a prisoner zapped
with 50,000 volts of electricity for talking too much in court has come
under official investigation by the state's judicial authorities.
-
- The Commission on Judicial Performance
announced Wednesday that Judge Joan Comparet-Cassani of the Long Beach
Municipal Court was being investigated for the June 30, 1998, incident
in which she ordered a bailiff to activate the electronic security belt
worn by Ronald Hawkins.
-
- ``The commencement of the commission's
investigation is not a determination of judicial misconduct,'' the commission
said in a brief statement.
-
- Hawkins was convicted of stealing a bottle
of aspirin from a drug store, a misdemeanor offense. Because he had two
prior felony convictions prosecutors were seeking a much longer sentence
for him under California's ``three strikes'' law.
-
- Hawkins in July sued Comparet-Cassani,
claiming $50 million in damages - $1,000 for each volt he endured while
defending himself at a sentencing hearing.
-
- The lawsuit, filed on Hawkins' behalf
by Los Angeles attorney Stephen Yagman, alleged Comparet-Cassani subjected
him to torture in violation of the U.S. Constitution's ban on the use of
unreasonable force, cruel and unusual punishment and punishment before
a prisoner is convicted and sentenced.
-
- Comparet-Cassani has previously said
that a code of judicial ethics prevented her from discussing Hawkins' criminal
case while it was pending.
-
- Hawkins' lawsuit also named the Los Angeles
County Sheriff's Dept. as a co-defendant and sought an injunction barring
use of the security devices, known as REACT belts, on defendants who do
not present a physical threat.
-
- The 50,000-volt electric shock, lasting
eight seconds, was administered after Comparet-Cassani repeatedly warned
Hawkins to stop interrupting her.
-
- People in the courtroom said Hawkins
grimaced and stiffened as the electricity surged through his body. It was
believed to be the first activation ever in Los Angeles of a prisoner's
electronic security belt.
-
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