Opinion ID: 1129438
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Failure to Instruct on Viewing Jailhouse Informant's Testimony With Distrust

Text: (11a) Defendant next contends that the court erred in failing to instruct the jury, sua sponte, that it should view the testimony of jailhouse informants such as Bruce Samuelson with distrust. We rejected this precise contention in People v. Hovey (1988) 44 Cal.3d 543, 565-566 [244 Cal. Rptr. 121, 749 P.2d 776]. (See also People v. Alcala (1984) 36 Cal.3d 604, 623-624 [205 Cal. Rptr. 775, 685 P.2d 1126].) Here, the jury was told about Samuelson's criminal record, and also was informed that the district attorney had agreed to recommend a favorable sentence for Samuelson's pending auto theft and forgery charges, in return for his testimony incriminating defendant. Moreover, the jury was given standard instructions on assessing a witness's credibility, and viewing oral admissions with caution. The court had no sua sponte duty to give additional instructions on assessing jailhouse informant testimony.