Defendants allowed to don normal clothing

Jail suits seen as prejudicial to defendants; guideline also lowers bar for filing of lawsuits

Criminal defendants and appellants will not need to wear jail clothes - often orange jumpsuits - when they appear in court, under a new judicial reform guideline, China's top court said on Thursday. They can wear ordinary clothing.

The change is designed to make court proceedings more neutral and fair for defendants, as jail clothing is a strong visual element that tends to label an accused person as guilty even before all the evidence is presented.