State v. Snell

OPINION

Justice SUTTELL,

for the Court.

Although not expressly articulated in the Constitution, “the presumption of innocence” is a fundamental principle of our criminal jurisprudence, and a “basic component of a fair trial under our system of criminal justice.” Estelle v. Williams, 425 U.S. 501, 503, 96 S.Ct. 1691, 48 L.Ed.2d 126 (1976). This appeal calls into question the prejudicial effect that a jury’s knowledge of a defendant’s incarceration may have on the presumption of innocence. Specifically, the defendant, Curley Snell, argues that the trial justice erred in compelling him to stand…