Opinion ID: 1202382
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 22

Heading: Failure to Give Requested Instruction on Potential for Rehabilitation

Text: (27) Defendant next complains that the trial court erred in refusing his requested instruction which would have told the jury to consider The defendant's potential for rehabilitation and leading a useful and meaningful life while incarcerated. We conclude under the circumstances this was not error. Certainly the jury in a capital case may not be precluded from considering as a mitigating factor any relevant evidence bearing on defendant's character, record, or offense. ( Eddings v. Oklahoma (1982) 455 U.S. 104, 110-116 [71 L.Ed.2d 1, 8-12, 102 S.Ct. 869]; Lockett v. Ohio (1978) 438 U.S. 586, 604-608 [57 L.Ed.2d 973, 989-992, 98 S.Ct. 2954] (plur. opn.).) They are not limited to statutory mitigating factors. ( Hitchcock v. Dugger (1987) 481 U.S. 393, 398-399 [95 L.Ed.2d 347, 353, 107 S.Ct. 1821, 1824].) Therefore evidence of adjustment to prison life and the possibility of rehabilitation would generally be admissible. ( Hitchcock, supra, 481 U.S. at p. 399 [95 L.Ed.2d at p. 353, 107 S.Ct. at p. 1824]; Skipper v. South Carolina (1986) 476 U.S. 1, 4-5 [90 L.Ed.2d 1, 6-7, 106 S.Ct. 1669]; and see People v. Morse, supra, 60 Cal.2d 631, 647; Conner v. State (1983) 251 Ga. 113, fn. 9 [303 S.E.2d. 266, 274]; Simmons v. State (Fla. 1982) 419 So.2d 316, 320.) By relying on this line of authority, however, defendant does not address the narrow issue here. Defendant was not limited in the mitigating evidence he could introduce on rehabilitation or a meaningful life in prison. As noted above, he produced ample evidence of his troubled upbringing, his good qualities, his work and education. While it is not obvious that any of this evidence was directly presented as related to rehabilitation, defense counsel at least argued that these good qualities were still there and that he should not be put to death. What the court rejected was language the defense had buried in a much lengthier requested instruction modifying and adding to CALJIC No. 8.84.1 and objectionable in many respects. [30] The proposed instruction was refused as framed, and we are not cited to any requested instruction specifically directed to rehabilitation. Furthermore, the trial court was extremely generous in giving many specific instructions relating to defendant's prior emotional abuse, alcohol or drug consumption on the night of the crime, and other factors related to defendant personally rather than to the crime. [31] There is no reason to believe that a properly drafted instruction would have been rejected. Again we find no error in refusing this instruction, particularly in light of the fact that no evidence was specifically presented and rejected as rehabilitation evidence, nor did the prosecutor argue that such evidence should not be considered.
(28) Finally, defendant objects that the trial court refused two sets of specific instructions, one telling the jury that if defendant did not specifically intend to kill the deceased, it might consider that to be a mitigating factor and the other telling the jury it must find intent to kill before imposing a sentence of death. [32] Despite the fact that, as discussed above, the jury returned a special finding at the guilt phase that defendant personally killed the victim and did so intentionally, defendant maintains these instructions should have been given to exploit any lingering doubt they may have had concerning defendant's intent. Had the requested instructions actually asked the jury to consider any lingering doubts about defendant's intent to kill, despite the sufficiency of evidence to support their special finding, we might seriously consider whether refusal to give such instruction was error. In People v. Terry (1964) 61 Cal.2d 137 [37 Cal. Rptr. 605, 390 P.2d 381], we noted a defendant may call upon such doubts in the penalty phase. ( Id. at pp. 145-146; and see Heiney v. Florida (1984) 469 U.S. 920, 920-924 [83 L.Ed.2d 237, 238, 105 S.Ct. 303] [dissent by Marshall, J. to den. of pet. to vacate death sentence].) But we have also noted there is a difference between calling upon residual feelings of doubt and inviting readjudication of matters resolved at the guilt phase. ( Terry, supra, 61 Cal.2d at p. 147; see People v. Haskett (1982) 30 Cal.3d 841, 866 [180 Cal. Rptr. 640, 640 P.2d 776].) That difference was not honored in the proposed instructions here which would have served to confuse the jury by inviting relitigation of the issue of intent. Finally, as to whether finding intent to kill is a prerequisite to imposition of a death sentence on a victim's actual killer, this position was rejected in Tison v. Arizona, supra, 481 U.S. 137, 156-157 [95 L.Ed.2d 127, 143-144, 107 S.Ct. 1676, 1688]. (See also Anderson, supra, 43 Cal.3d at pp. 1138-1147.) We conclude that proposed instructions on this point were properly rejected.