I totally missed the NPR report you mention, but I assume that the news is about the actual use of stun belts _within_ Columbus, for at the federal level the devices have been already in use since 1994 and correctional agencies in Ohio have had them since 1996, according to Amnesty International.
***In 1994, the US Federal Bureau of Prisons decided to use remote-controlled stun belts on prisoners considered dangerous in order to prevent them from escaping during transportation and court appearances. By 1996 it was reported that the US Marshals service and over 100 county agencies have obtained such belts, as well as sixteen state correctional agencies including Alaska, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Ohio and Washington. The Bureau of Prisons has stated that it uses the stun belt on high risk inmates who require "full restraints". Another reason given by prison authorities for the use of such belts is that this will reduce law enforcement personnel costs as the US prison population rises.*** (http://www.amnesty.it/ailib/aipub/1996/AMR/25104596.htm)
I remember reading about a man in California who was stunned by the said device during his court appearance for speaking too often and who later sued for damage last year. What happened to his suit? Does anyone know?
Yoshie