Opinion ID: 1155733
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 14

Heading: Failure to Provide Jury With Written Penalty Phase Instructions

Text: (21) Defendant complains that the trial court failed to provide the jury with a written set of penalty phase instructions to assist its deliberations. As explained in the context of a similar argument regarding the absence of written guilt phase instructions ( ante, pp. 710, 711), our main inquiry is whether the court abused its broad discretion in failing to provide written instructions. (See People v. Sheldon, supra, 48 Cal.3d at pp. 943-944; People v. Anderson, supra, 64 Cal.2d at p. 640.) The jury deliberated less than four hours before reaching its penalty verdict. No questions were raised regarding any of the instructions, and no request for rereading instructions was made. Thus, the record contains no evidence indicating the jury was confused or misled by the oral instructions given. (See People v. Sheldon, supra, 48 Cal.3d at pp. 944-945.) We conclude the court did not abuse its discretion in failing to provide the jury with written instructions.