Opinion ID: 1122950
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: instruction regarding life imprisonment

Text: Defendant argues that the trial court erred by giving the following instruction concerning the statutes that govern a sentence of life imprisonment: Now, I want to define life imprisonment for you. If sentenced to life imprisonment, the court shall order that the defendant shall be confined for a minimum of 30 years without the possibility of parole, release on work release, or any form of temporary leave, or employment at a forest or work camp. At any time after 20 years from the imposition of that minimum sentence, upon the request of the prisoner, the State Board of Parole shall hold a hearing to determine if the prisoner is likely to be rehabilitated within a reasonable period of time. The prisoner shall have the burden of proving the likelihood of rehabilitation within a reasonable period of time. If upon hearing all the evidence, the board finds unanimously that the prisoner is capable of rehabilitation, the terms of the prisoner's confinement shall be changed to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole or work release. Further requests by the prisoner for a change may be filed at intervals of not less than two years. The trial court's instruction in this case is similar to that given by the trial court in Douglas. See 310 Or. at 448-49, 800 P.2d 288 (setting forth instruction). Defendant argues that the giving of that instruction constitutes reversible error under Douglas. The state makes two arguments in support of its position that the instruction was properly given in this case. First, the state argues that this court's decision in Douglas conflicts with the more recent decision of the United States Supreme Court in Simmons v. South Carolina, 512 U.S. 154, 114 S.Ct. 2187, 129 L.Ed.2d 133 (1994) (plurality opinion). The state urges us to overrule Douglas and to hold that, in all capital sentencing proceedings, trial courts may instruct the jury on the possible release of persons sentenced to life in prison. We are unpersuaded that the Supreme Court's decision in Simmons requires us to overrule Douglas. In Simmons, the trial court refused to instruct the jury, as requested by the defendant, that, under South Carolina law, the defendant would be ineligible for parole if sentenced to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court concluded that the trial court's refusal to give that instruction violated the defendant's due process rights under the federal constitution. Simmons, 512 U.S. at ----, 114 S.Ct. at 2193. The Court explained that, without that instruction, the jury mistakenly may have believed that the defendant could be released on parole if he were not sentenced to death. The Court determined that the jury may have sentenced the defendant to death based on that misunderstanding of South Carolina law. Ibid. Simmons did not hold that, if a defendant is eligible for parole on a life sentence, the jury must be informed of that fact. Rather, the Simmons Court expressly permitted states to determine whether it is proper, in a capital sentencing proceeding, to inform the jury about a defendant's parole eligibility: In a State in which parole is available, how the jury's knowledge of parole availability will affect the decision whether or not to impose the death penalty is speculative, and we shall not lightly second-guess a decision whether or not to inform a jury of information regarding parole. States reasonably may conclude that truthful information regarding the availability of commutation, pardon, and the like, should be kept from the jury in order to provide `greater protection in [the States'] criminal justice system than the Federal Constitution requires. 512 U.S. at ----, 114 S.Ct. at 2196, quoting California v. Ramos, 463 U.S. 992, 1014, 103 S.Ct. 3446, 3460, 77 L.Ed.2d 1171 (1983) (emphasis added).