Opinion ID: 2113966
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: waived issue

Text: The defendant seeks to have us consider an additional issue, which he asserts was properly raised at the time of trial while acknowledging its omission from the motion to correct errors. This issue would involve the propriety of an instruction which made mention of good time credit and sentencing alternatives and instructed that such should not be considered in arriving at the verdict. The full instruction was as follows: A person who is convicted of a crime by a jury is sentenced by the Judge. In many cases the Judge has certain sentencing alternatives which may include probation, restitution, short sentences, rehabilitation programs, etc. In other cases the law requires the Judge to sentence to a term of imprisonment that is either fixed by the law, or set by the Jury. A person who is sentenced to imprisonment for less than life is entitled by law to a reduction of his time based upon a certain schedule and upon his behavior in the institution. Also he is given credit toward his sentence for time spent in jail on this charge. For these reasons it is possible that a person could serve considerably less than the stated sentence. On the other hand, it is also possible that a person could serve the full maximum. In either case it is determined by future events beyond our present knowledge or control. Therefore, in arriving at your verdict, you should not consider or speculate as to the actual amount of time a person will serve. The defendant correctly notes that a reviewing court may consider questions raised for the first time on appeal if necessary to serve the ends of substantial justice or prevent the denial of fundamental rights. If the instruction was, in fact, erroneous, it, nevertheless, does not rise to substantial error warranting us in going behind a waiver and litigating that which could and should have been litigated below. We, therefore, decline to pass upon the issue, but we note in passing that the tenor of the instruction appears to have been protective of the defendant, rather than to have encouraged the Jury to counter any considerations favorable to convicted criminals. We find no reversible error, and the judgment of the trial court is affirmed. GIVAN, C.J., and HUNTER, J., concur. DeBRULER, J., concurs in result. ARTERBURN, J., not participating.