State v. Cavan

Defendant, an inmate at the Snake River Correctional Institution (SRCI), was charged with various crimes stemming from his attack on a corrections officer in that institution. A jury convicted defendant of those crimes in a trial that took place in a courtroom located within the confines of SRCI.

Defendant appealed his convictions, arguing that conducting his jury trial within SRCI violated his state and federal constitutional rights to a public trial by an impartial jury. The Court of Appeals concluded that defendant’s jury trial was a “public” one as required under Article I, section 11, and…